GULAN: Lignite worth 400 billion EUR in Kosovo

- Mainly public companies, such as Postal company, Telekom, Kosovo Railways and public utility companies, are working in Kosovo nowadays, while 90% of former public companies are closed – said the associate of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia Branislav Gulan.

- Most of the enterprises that once made "Trepča" are out of work. Few months ago, the mine in Stari Trg was put into operation with only 30% of capacities – said Gulan.

Since 1992, the economy in Kosmet has been financed by the Development Fund of Serbia, which owns more than 50% of share in 163 enterprises in Kosmet. There is still no reliable information on natural resources, but it is assumed that the Kosovo basin contains 13.2 billion tons of lignite, while the Metohia basin contains another 2.5 billion tons. The value of lignite, as he said, is estimated to about 400 billion EUR.

There are also reserves of zinc and lead ores in amount of about 46m tons. The nickel reserves contain about 1.3% of metal, while the magnesite ore reserves are estimated to about 8m tons. There are about 1.6m tons of bauxite and nearly 600,000 ha of fertile fields.