The Mineral Industry of Bulgaria in 2013
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2013 Minerals Yearbook BULGARIA U.S. Department of the Interior December 2016 U.S. Geological Survey THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF BULGARIA By Sean Xun The major raw materials extracted in Bulgaria in 2013 Structure of the Mineral Industry included clays (including bentonite), copper, gypsum, lead, lignite, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, and zinc. The Table 2 is a list of major mineral industry facilities. metallurgical sector smelted and refined copper, lead, silver, and Mineral Trade zinc; produced crude steel; and processed products. Production quantities of crude oil and natural gas were insignificant In 2013, the total value of Bulgaria’s exports was about (table 1). $29.6 billion compared with about $26.7 billion in 2012. The total value of Bulgaria’s imports was about $34.3 billion Minerals in the National Economy compared with $32.7 billion in 2012. The country’s major In 2013, Bulgaria’s real gross domestic product (GDP) export trade partners were, in descending order of value, increased by 0.9% to $53.1 billion1 compared with that of 2012. Germany (which received 12.3% of Bulgaria’s exports), Production value of the mining and quarrying industry was Turkey (9.0%), Italy (8.6%), and Romania (7.7%). Its major about $1.79 billion, which accounted for about 4.2% of total import trade partners were, in descending order of value, production value of industrial enterprises compared with 4.7% Russia (which supplied 18.5% of Bulgaria’s imports), in 2012. The production value of basic metal and fabricated Germany (10.8%), Italy (7.4%), and Romania (6.6%) (National metal products (except machinery and equipment) in 2013 was Statistical Institute, 2014b). $6.88 billion, which accounted for about 16.1% of the total In 2013, the imports and exports of nonferrous metals production value of industrial enterprises compared with 15.8% and finished products amounted to about $1.0 billion and in 2012. The number of identified mineral deposits in 2012 $3.6 billion, respectively. Bulgaria imported 271,176 metric (the latest year for which data were available) was 595, which tons (t) of nonferrous metals and exported 632,225 t, with a included 206 of metallic minerals, 115 of nonmetallic minerals, turnover of 903,401 t and a positive trade balance of 361,049 t. 151 of construction materials, 69 of solid fuels, 51 of natural The turnover was 11.9% higher than in 2012, primarily owing stone materials, and 3 of oil and natural gas. In 2013, about to the increase in copper and lead ingot exports. Bulgaria’s 26,000 people were employed in the mining and quarrying energy dependence [measured on the basis of British thermal industry compared with 26,200 (revised) in 2012 (Bulgaria unit (Btu) equivalent] was 37% in 2012; imports accounted for Chamber of Mining and Geology, 2013; International Monetary 21% of coal consumption, 99.5% of crude oil consumption, and Fund, 2014, p. 54; National Statistical Institute, 2014a, p. 15; 83.3% of natural gas consumption (Bulgaria Association of the 2014c, p. 189, 191; 2014d, p. 103, 321). Metallurgical Industry, 2014, p. 51, 53–54; National Statistical Institute, 2014d, p. 276). Production Bulgaria’s exports to the United States were valued at about $514 million in 2013 compared with about $509 million In 2013, tellurium metal production increased by 103% in 2012. Of this amount, fertilizers accounted for about to 5,014 kilograms (kg) from 2,472 kg in 2012; zinc, mine $32 million, and finished metal shapes accounted for about output, metal content, by 33% to 11,992 metric tons (t) $20 million. Imports from the United States were valued at from 8,995 t (revised); sulfuric acid production, by 23% to about $307 million in 2013 compared with about $248 million 1,352,588 t from 1,100,835 t (revised); silver metal production, in 2012; these included about $20 million in petroleum products by 20% to 55,637 kg from 46,523 kg (revised); manganese, and $3.7 million in finished metal shapes (U.S. Census Bureau, mine output, metal content, by 19% to 12,600 t from 2014a, b). 10,600 t; cadmium metal production, by 14% to 411 t from 360 t (revised); and lead, mine output, metal content, by 11% to Commodity Review 15,986 t from 14,366 t (revised). Natural gas production decreased by 27% to 289 million Metals cubic meters from 396 million cubic meters in 2012; crude steel production, by 18% to 522,000 t from 640,000 t (revised); Copper.—Aurubis AG of Germany, through its subsidiary estimated lignite production, by 18% to 25.5 million metric Aurubis Bulgaria AD, owned the country’s only copper smelting tons (Mt) from 31 Mt (revised); estimated copper ore, gross and refining facility. Aurubis Bulgaria AD, which is located weight, by 12% to 25 Mt from about 28 Mt. Data on mineral in the town of Pirdop, produced about 354,294 t of anodic production are in table 1. copper and 229,604 t of electrolytic copper in 2013 compared with 325,220 t and 226,100 t in 2012, respectively. According to the Bulgaria Association of the Metallurgical Industry, the 1 electrolytic copper produced in Bulgaria accounted for 1.10% of Where necessary, values have been converted from Bulgarian leva (BGN) to world production. The company processed 1,227,926 t of copper U.S. dollars (US$) at an annual average rate of BGN1.47=US$1.00 for 2013 and BGN1.52=US$1.00 for 2012. concentrates containing 295,435 t of metal at an average copper Bulgaria—2013 9.1 content of 24.06%. The amount of concentrates processed in were used for lead production. Zinc production in Bulgaria 2013 was 976,718 t. The share of local concentrates in terms accounted for about 0.59% of world production. Concentrates of metal content was 23% in 2013 and 33.4% in 2012. The containing 66,894 t of zinc were processed. The share of raw materials for copper production also included 60,320 t of local concentrates increased to 17.9% from 16.1% in 2012. imported scrap metal. Production of sulfuric acid by Aurubis About 11,363 t of imported scrap materials were used for zinc Bulgaria increased by 25.3% from 2012 to 1,234,289 t. In 2013 production (Bulgaria Association of the Metallurgical Industry, the company continued to invest in the Pirdop 2014 project, 2014, p. 41–44). which had a total budget of $58.7 million. The project would KCM AD produced 71,668 t of lead and 75,830 t of zinc in fund environmental upgrades and expand concentrate processing 2013, which accounted for about 79% of lead production and capacity at the plant (Aurubis AG, 2014, p. 88; Bulgaria 100% of zinc production in Bulgaria. Production in 2012 was Association of the Metallurgical Industry, 2014, p. 39–40). 68,438 t of lead and 73,558 t (revised) of zinc. In December, Dundee Precious Metals Inc. of Canada owned and operated Sofia-based Harmony 2012 Ltd. announced that construction the Chelopech underground copper mine, which was located work at the site of bankrupt Lead and Zinc Complex Plc about 70 kilometers (km) east of the capital city of Sofia, was expected to begin in June 2014. The plan was to build a through its 100%-owned subsidiary Chelopech Mining EAD. modern lead and zinc smelter by reconstructing the buildings In 2013, the company extracted 2,029,702 t of copper ore. The and replacing all the equipment (Novinite.com, 2013; Bulgaria copper metal contained in the concentrate was about 20,700 t. Association of the Metallurgical Industry, 2014, p. 41, 43). As of December 31, the measured and indicated resources at the Chelopech Mine were estimated to be 28.72 Mt at a grade of Industrial Minerals 1.25% copper (359,000 t of contained copper), and the proven and probable reserves were estimated to be 24.04 Mt at a grade Cement.—In Bulgaria, cement was produced by four of 0.99% copper (238,000 t of contained copper). The copper companies—Devnya Cement AD, Holcim (Bulgaria) AD, concentrates produced at the Chelopech Mine were exported Vulkan Cement S.A., and Zlatna Panega Cement AD. These to be processed at Dundee’s smelter in Tsumeb, Namibia. The companies had a combined cement production capacity of smelter processed 101,031 t of concentrate from Chelopech 5.7 million metric tons per year (Mt/yr). Devnya Cement and in 2013 (Dundee Precious Metals Inc., 2014a, p. 2, 7, 15, 29; Vulkan Cement, with a production capacity of 2 Mt/yr and 2014c). 0.5 Mt/yr, respectively, were owned by Italcementi Group Gold and Silver.—In 2013, gold production from the of Italy and employed 349 in 2013 compared with 359 in Chelopech Mine increased by 9% to 4,100 kg from 3,752 kg 2012. Italcementi Group’s cement and clinker sales volumes in 2012. As of December 31, the measured and indicated in Bulgaria increased by 5.6% from 2012 owing to exports resources at the Chelopech Mine were estimated to be 28.7 Mt stimulated by construction for the Winter Olympics in at grades of 4.03 g/t gold and 9.25 g/t silver (116,000 kg of gold Russia. In 2013, a wind farm in Bulgaria provided 20% of the and 266,000 kg of silver); the proven and probable reserves electricity for the local cement plant. Holcim Bulgaria AD, were estimated to be 23.9 Mt at grades of 3.26 g/t gold and which was owned by Holcim Ltd.