Boron mine near Raska very soon? – Canada’s Boron One already looking for buyer for strategic Serbian mineral

The Canadian company Boron One Holdings Inc, which is developing the Piskanja borate project near Raska in Serbia, announced that it was in the process of screening and negotiating with a potential strategic partner. The partner, as stated, has a great need for borate minerals and derivatives, which are key in industrial processes around the world.

According to the president of Boron One, Tim Daniels, boron is today a strategic mineral with limited supply, which is why customers are trying to secure long-term and reliable sources. It is in this context that Boron One is looking for a partner who would enable stable sales and cooperation of many years. During the negotiations, both parties consider the technical compatibility of the products, production planning and a model of long-term commercial cooperation.

In Serbia, Boron One is developing the Piskanja boron project, for which an exploration license and a confirmation of high-boron reserves have already been secured, and the company has also submitted an application to the Ministry of Mining for an exploitation permit, which is key to moving from the exploration phase to the mining production phase.

In addition to Piskanja, Boron One has also secured an exploration license for the Jarandol Basin, an area in the same region where additional boron resources are expected. As eKapija reported in May last year, Boron One was still one step away from opening a boron mine in Serbia.

The Canadian company announced at the time that it had completed an independent environmental impact assessment (EIA) for its Piskanja Boron project in the Municipality of Raska, in preparation for the expected approval of the exploitation field, as requested by Boron One to the Ministry of Mining in July 2024.

According to the latest information published by the company in September last year, the Ministry of Mining reviewed the documentation and requested amendments and additional information.

The company’s activities, including the search for a strategic partner, show that the Piskanja project is in an advanced stage of preparation, which indicates that obtaining an exploitation permit could follow in the near future.

The approval of the exploitation field gives the Canadian company the exclusive right to develop the Piskanja mineral deposit, that is, in effect, opening a mine.

Once Boron One receives an exploitation permit for the Piskanja deposit, the company will be able to mine borates, process them into concentrates or chemical compounds and sell them to global buyers. Unlike gold or some other strategic minerals, Serbian law does not require that the mineral be offered to the state first - the sale is free, subject to compliance with environmental and mining regulations.

The Piskanja Project contains a measured mineral resource of 1.39 million tons (mt) grading 35.59% boron trioxide (B2O3), an indicated mineral resource of 5.48 mt grading 34.05% B2O3 (boron oxide), and an inferred mineral resource of 284.75 thousand tons grading 39% B2O3.

These resources, the company said, were calculated in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining’s Mineral Resource and Reserve Definition Standards.

B. P.

Ministarstvo rudarstva i energetike Republike Srbije

Boron One Holding Inc

Ministry of Mining

Piskanja near Raška

Jarandol basin

Tim Daniels

Piskanja boron project

strategic partner

boron

borates

buyer for Serbian boron

boron exploration

boron mine

mine opening