2015 Minerals Yearbook CYPRUS [ADVANCE RELEASE] U.S. Department of the Interior July 2019 U.S. Geological Survey The Mineral Industry of Cyprus By Sinan Hastorun Cyprus, an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, stone increased by 567% compared with that of 2014; that of produced copper, umber and ocher, and industrial minerals used crushed limestone (havara), by 303%; umber and ocher for in construction. The production and export of other minerals cement production, by 175%; crude gypsum, by 36%; marble, or metals, such as asbestos fibers, chromite, gold, and silver, granules, and chippings, by 25%; calcined gypsum, by 17%; ceased in the early 1980s. The mineral resources of Cyprus1 and hydraulic cement, by 7%. The substantial increases were include asbestos, bentonite, copper, gypsum, lime, limestone from low base amounts produced during the recent economic (known locally as havara), marble, sand and gravel, and umber recession. Production of refined copper decreased by 28%; and ocher. In 2015, Cyprus accounted for about 0.8% of world clinker, clays for cement manufacture, and marl, by 10% each; bentonite production (table 1; Mines Service, 2016b, d, e; bentonite, by 9%; clay for brick and tile manufacture, hydrated Flanagan, 2017). lime, and iron oxide pigments (umber and ocher), by 8% each; In 2015, a new copper mine was being developed, which and sand and gravel, by 2% (table 1). would be the second metal mine in Cyprus. In 2015, mineral fuel reserves were reported for the first time after natural gas Structure of the Mineral Industry resources at the Aphrodite offshore field were determined to Table 2 is a list of the major mineral industry facilities, be commercially viable (EurActiv Energy News, 2015; Mines their locations, and their annual capacities. All facilities were Service, 2016a, g; U.S. Commercial Service, 2016b). privately owned. Minerals in the National Economy Commodity Review Cyprus’s real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by Metals 1.6% in 2015 compared with a 2.5% decrease in 2014. The nominal GDP was $18.8 billion2 in 2015. Most sectors of the Aluminum.—Muskita Aluminum Industries Ltd., which was economy, including the mineral industry, expanded in 2015 Cyprus’s sole aluminum producer, operated the 22,000-metric- after contracting since 2008. Mining and quarrying output ton-per-year (t/yr) Limassol plant, which was located close to increased by 2.3%; the manufacture of refined petroleum Limassol Port and employed 350 workers. Muskita produced products, chemicals, and chemical products, by 6.3%; and aluminum extrusions by using primary raw materials of the manufacture of nonmetallic mineral products, by 4.1%. The 6060, 6063, 6005 and 6082 alloys. Its anodizing plant had manufacture of base metals and fabricated metal products, as a production capacity of 10,000 t/yr (Muskita Aluminum measured by value, decreased by 0.3%. The share of mining and Industries Ltd., 2016). quarrying in the total gross value added for the national economy Copper and Gold.—The Skouriotissa Mine operated by remained at 0.06%, whereas that of manufacturing increased to Hellenic Copper Mines Ltd. remained the country’s only active 4.8% in 2015 (Central Bank of Cyprus, 2016, p. 21; European copper mine in 2015. The Skouriotissa plant near the mine Commission, 2016, p. 90; Statistical Service, 2016a, b). produced 99.99%-purity copper cathodes. Hellenic Copper Cyprus’s exports of ores and industrial minerals, excluding Mines was developing a second mine—the Apliki Mine. The cement and clinker, were valued at $24.9 million in 2015 Apliki project comprised a three-deposit area located close compared with $35.6 million in 2014. The main mineral exports to the Skouriotissa Mine and plant. The company planned to were bentonite, building stone, cement, clinker, copper cathodes, increase its copper cathode production to at least 6,000 t/yr gypsum, lime, plasters, and umber and ocher. In 2015, exports (Worldfolio, The, 2015; Mines Service, 2016a, f, g). of copper cathodes decreased by 31% to 2,121 metric tons (t). Eastern Mediterranean Minerals (Cyprus) Ltd. (EMM) Exports of cement increased by 26% to 337,814 t, whereas those held exploration licenses in the Troodos Ophiolite complex. of clinker decreased by 11.3% to 981,117 t. Gypsum exports were Three licensed areas were found to contain deposits of more about 170,000 t; bentonite, 150,000 t; umber and ocher, 6,000 t; than 10 million metric tons (Mt) at grades of between 1.0% and building stone, 3,000 t (Mines Service, 2016b, d, g; and 4.5% copper. In August 2015, Semarang Enterprises Statistical Service, 2016c). Ltd. acquired a 90% interest in EMM from Atalaya Mining Production Plc. (formerly EMED Mining Public Ltd.). In May, Manning Operator Ltd. of Turkey identified copper and gold deposits In 2015, the amount of change in mineral industry output at two sites at Lefka in northern Cyprus. The company varied among the mineral commodities. Production of building estimated the sites to contain about 1.5 Mt and 3 Mt of copper, respectively. Because these areas were largely under the control 1Unless specifically stated, all data in this chapter are for the southern part of of the Turkish armed forces, the company planned to negotiate Cyprus, because data related to northern Cyprus were sparse or unavailable. 2Where necessary, values have been converted from euro area euros (EUR) to with Turkish Cypriots and the Government of Turkey for U.S. dollars (US$) at an average annual exchange rate of EUR0.937=US$1.00 permission to mine in the area (EMED Mining Public Ltd., 2015; for 2015 and EUR0.784=US$1.00 for 2014. CYPRUS—2015 [ADVANCE RELEASE] 11.1 LGC News, 2015; Psillides, 2015; Atalaya Mining Plc., 2016, p. were extended until 2018. The consortium’s drilling yielded no 47; Eastern Mediterranean Minerals Ltd., 2016). commercially exploitable hydrocarbon resources in 2015. Total In 2015, Khrysanera Ltd. proposed building a 100-t/yr gold S.A. of France received an extension for its exploration license refinery in Aradippou to produce gold bars. The company for Block 11, which it planned to drill in 2016. The company planned to import dore bars and semipure alloy of gold and returned its license for Block 10 after its seismic surveys silver and other metals, and to produce and export 24-carat showed no indications of hydrocarbon resources (Ellinas, 2015; gold (99.99% purity). The initial production capacity of the EurActiv Energy News, 2015; Offshore Technology, 2016; gold refinery would be 50 t/yr. In May, Khrysanera submitted U.S. Commercial Service, 2016a, b). the required application to the municipal council of Aradippou. In October, the municipal council postponed a vote on the Outlook construction permit. As of yearend 2015, it was not known when The economy of Cyprus is expected to continue to grow in construction would begin (Andreou, 2015; Hazou, 2015). 2016. Mining and quarrying output is expected to continue Iron and Steel.—In 2015, Cyprus exported 1,000 t of to increase owing to greater demand for industrial minerals. semifinished and finished steel products (unchanged from that Copper cathode production is expected to increase once the of 2014) and imported 144,000 t of such products (109,000 t in Apliki Mine begins operating. The exploration of gold deposits 2014). In 2015, Cyprus also imported 111,000 t of long products is at an early stage. Cyprus may become a producer of refined and 27,000 t of flat products. B.M.S. Metal Pipes Industries Ltd., gold if the proposed gold refinery receives the requisite permit. which was the country’s sole steel company, produced carbon The ongoing offshore hydrocarbon exploration has the potential steel products (Metal Bulletin, 2016; World Steel Association, to turn Cyprus into a natural gas producer and exporter if the 2016, p. 53, 56, 66, 71). Aphrodite field is developed as planned and additional reserves Industrial Minerals are identified in other blocks within the Cyprus EEZ. Building stone, gypsum, limestone, marble, marl, sandstone, References Cited and umber and ocher were quarried across Cyprus. In 2015, Andreou, Evie, 2015, Cyprus could export gold bars: [Nicosia] Cyprus Mail, 130 quarries were producing various materials, particularly for May 9. (Accessed September 18, 2016, at http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/05/09/ use by the construction industry. Of these quarries, 45 were cyprus-could-export-gold-bars-within-a-year/.) in the final stages of operation or in the reclamation phase Atalaya Mining Plc., 2016, Annual report for the year ended 31 December 2015: Nicosia, Cyprus, Atalaya Mining Plc., April, 58 p. (Accessed September 18, 2016, following the end of production. In 2015, 12 quarrying companies at http://atalayamining.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ATYM-Annual- were engaged in the production of limestone aggregates; Report-2015.pdf.) 10, in bricks and tiles and diabase aggregates production; 8, in Central Bank of Cyprus, 2016, Annual report 2015: Nicosia, Cyprus, building stone production; 6, in bentonite and crushed limestone Central Bank of Cyprus, 87 p. (Accessed September 17, 2016, at http://www.centralbank.gov.cy/media//pdf_gr/CBC_AR_ (havara) production; 3, in fine aggregates and umber production; English_2016_592016.pdf.) and 1, in armor stone, crushed marble, gypsum, and ocher Eastern Mediterranean Minerals Ltd., 2016, Company history: Eastern production (Mines Service, 2016c, d, g, h). Mediterranean Minerals Ltd. (Accessed September 18, 2016, at Cement.—Domestic sales of cement increased by 2.4% to http://www.eastmedminerals.com/about/history.) Ellinas, Charles, 2015, Review of Cyprus and East Med energy developments 463,000 t, whereas domestic sales of clinker decreased by 8.3% in 2015: Natural Gas Europe, December 31. (Accessed September 17, 2016, to 659,600 t in 2015.