Comsar Energy RS has presented a draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study to the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska for the Gajici – Ugljevik East 2 open-pit coal mine project. This area spans 108.65 hectares in the municipality of Ugljevik. The company received a concession for coal exploitation at the Ugljevik East 2 deposit in 2013, which is linked to the planned construction of TPP Ugljevik 3. The concession grants a period of 44.5 years for coal extraction.
The Ugljevik East 2 deposit has been assessed and confirmed to contain geological resources of 148 million tons of coal, with exploitable reserves estimated at 75 million tons. The government of the Republic of Srpska has declared public interest in the area, facilitating the initiation of land acquisition processes for the project.
Located in the northeastern part of the Republic of Srpska, the Ugljevik East 2 coal deposit is part of the Ugljevik coal basin, situated southeast of Ugljevik’s town center. The designated exploitation area includes several residential buildings and auxiliary structures.
The Gajici – Ugljevik East 2 open-pit mine aims for an annual capacity of 1 million tons of coal. Although the broader concession area covers approximately 2,626 hectares, the current focus is on the 108.65 hectares identified as the most viable site for initial operations, allowing for continued extraction after the project’s completion, which is expected to last four years.
The development of the new coal mine for TPP Ugljevik 3 will occur in two phases. The first phase involves investment and overburden removal, lasting 18 months, including six months of administrative preparatory work followed by 12 months of operational overburden removal. Once this phase is completed, preparations for the second phase will commence, establishing a raw material base for TPP Ugljevik 3.