Montenegro’s Ministry of Energy and Mining has opened a public tender for a concession covering detailed geological exploration and exploitation of zinc and lead deposits in the municipality of Pljevlja. The tender covers the Šuplja stijena, Đurđeve vode, Paljevine and Ribnik deposits in the Ljubišnja mining district. Interested bidders must submit offers by 31 July. The concession area extends across approximately 6.1 square kilometres, equivalent to 610 hectares, in an area with a long history of geological research, mining operations and concentrate production.
Geological Reserves Across Four Deposits
Total geological reserves at the four deposits are estimated at approximately 17.14 million tonnes of ore. The largest share is located at Šuplja stijena and Đurđeve vode, where geological reserves are estimated at around 15.6 million tonnes. Exploitable reserves at these two deposits exceed 7 million tonnes. The Ribnik deposit contains approximately 1.4 million tonnes of reserves. At Paljevine, confirmed geological reserves are estimated at around 137,000 tonnes, with an additional 1.7 million tonnes classified as prospective resources.
Concession Schedule and Production Targets
The proposed concession term is 20 years. The first six months are intended for detailed geological exploration, followed by another six months for the preparation of mining documentation and permits. The remaining 19 years would be allocated to ore exploitation.
Tender documentation forecasts total production of approximately 9.5 million tonnes of ore during the exploitation period. The estimated value of production is €275 million, equivalent to roughly €14.5 million annually. The minimum concession fee is projected at €11 million over the full concession period, or at least €580,000 per year. Under Montenegro’s concession-fee distribution model, 70% of the fee would go to the Pljevlja local-government budget, while 30% would be directed to the state budget.
Employment and Industrial Applications
The concession documentation anticipates employment of approximately 150 people. Zinc is used in steel galvanising, corrosion protection, die-casting alloys and infrastructure-related supply chains. Lead remains used in battery systems, industrial shielding and recycling-related applications, subject to environmental requirements for handling and processing.
Historical Mining and Concentrate Output
The Šuplja stijena mine operated from 1954 to 1987, producing approximately 3.95 million tonnes of ore. Average metal grades during that period were 1.72% lead and 4.73% zinc. Production resulted in 76,687 tonnes of lead concentrate and 299,890 tonnes of zinc concentrate.
Surface mining conducted between 1996 and 2000 added another 283,000 tonnes of ore. Mining activity resumed after 2010. Between 2010 and 2024, Gradir Montenegro extracted approximately 7.25 million tonnes of ore from the district. During that period, the company produced and exported around 171,000 tonnes of selective zinc concentrate, 47,000 tonnes of selective lead concentrate containing silver, and 36,000 tonnes of collective concentrate.
Reserve Verification and Annual Capacity References
Further detailed geological work is required at deeper levels of Šuplja stijena and at Ribnik. Project materials contain different references to expected annual production. A public article associated with the project cites planned output of 500,000 tonnes of high-grade ore per year. The government concession plan states that verified reserves and available mining documentation enable planning for approximately 600,000 tonnes of ore annually.
Environmental Requirements and Public Consultation
The future concessionaire will be required to implement environmental-protection measures. These include rehabilitation of exploited areas, protection of watercourses and management of flotation tailings after mining works are completed. Montenegro’s 2026 concession-planning process received 54 comments, objections and suggestions. Of these, 19 were fully accepted, five were partly accepted, and 25 were rejected. The Ministry of Energy and Mining also recorded comments related to possible water impacts on Mjednički potok and the Ćehotina river system.
Existing Facilities and Transport Access
Government documentation states that Gradir Montenegro previously built mine administration facilities in Šula, as well as pre-concentration and flotation facilities. The mining site is connected to Pljevlja by a 37-kilometre asphalt road. Transport access also includes a route from Pljevlja to the Belgrade-Bar railway at Prijepolje, located approximately 70 kilometres from the mine.
Energy-Efficiency Obligations
The concession documentation requires the operator to apply energy-efficiency measures during mining and processing operations.
Required measures include the use of modern machinery with lower energy consumption, efficient production equipment and renewable-energy sources, including solar panels where appropriate. Mining, crushing, grinding, flotation, pumping and dewatering are among the electricity-intensive activities expected within the planned operation.
EU-Related Environmental Compliance
The concession process is taking place during Montenegro’s EU-accession process. Mining operations are subject to requirements involving water management, waste, biodiversity, public participation, closure planning and industrial emissions.
The Pljevlja concession combines defined ore reserves, previous mining activity, existing processing facilities and established transport links. Final investment requirements will depend on the condition of facilities and equipment, tailings capacity, energy supply, mine-depth planning and compliance-related upgrades.
