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Mineral mining

Last update of indicator25.01.2024

Indicator definition

The indicator describes the mining of mineral raw materials on exclusive deposits in total reserves - minerals in general and broken down into mineral fuels, metals, industrial minerals and construction materials.

Units

%, mil. t

Metadata

Related policy documents and targets

The updated Raw material Policy of the Slovak Republic in the Field of Mineral Resources (2004)
The main objectives of the raw material policy:

  • efficient use of domestic raw material base,
  • coordinating the use and protection of mineral resources with respect to the lifespan of proven geological reserves, guidance and management of processing, distribution, consumption and recycling of raw materials and promoting their sound management,
  • sustainable development of society and the environment protection.
 
The concept of geological research and exploration of the Slovak Republic (2017)
The main goal of the concept is to constantly increase the level of knowledge of the geological structure of Slovakia in the continuous monitoring and development of methods of geological research and geological survey with emphasis on innovative approaches so as to serve the changing needs of economic and social practice. Specific objectives include, in particular, support for geological research, deposit geological exploration of minerals with an emphasis on critical minerals, hydrogeological and engineering geological exploration, support for reducing environmental pollution and increasing the efficiency of information systems.
 

Greener Slovakia, Strategy of the Environmental Policy of the Slovak Republic until 2030 (2019)
5. The Rational Use of the Rock Environment

  • By 2030, Slovakia will endeavour to eliminate environmental burdens, as a high priority. Safe disposal of environmental damage will be fully covered by its contributors. Effective work with local authorities and the public will continue during the geological survey. Health protection from the risks of soil contamination and nature preservation will be considered as a priority. A legislative obligation, to carry out an engineering geological survey before setting up structures in the slide areas and prior to the realisation of strategic large-scale and line constructions will be introduced.
 
 

Vision and Strategy for the Development of Slovakia until 2030 - Long-term Strategy for the Sustainable Development of the Slovak Republic - Slovakia 2030 (2021)

Objective of the Integrated Development Program II.

Transformation of the Slovak economy into a sustainable one, whose competitiveness is based on innovative and efficient use of resources and which generates good wages and prosperity.

II.1 Support the development of strong innovation-based regional economies

  • To increase the added value of a regional product and to support the processing and use of domestic products with high added value from agriculture, forestry and mining on the domestic market

II.3 Improve the sustainability and resilience of national and regional economies

  • Increase the share of renewable energy sources and dampen coal mining and energy recovery

Key question

What is the state of mining of mineral resources in the Slovak Republic?

Key messages

  • In the monitored period 2005 - 2022, there was a decrease in the extraction of mineral raw materials. In 2022, mining of mineral raw materials on exclusive deposits reached 27.8 million. tons, which, compared to 2005, represents a decrease of approx. 18% and a year-on-year increase of 1%.
  • One of the favourable indicators of mining decline is visible improvement of the environment around former mining organizations.




 
Change since 2005 Change since 2015 Last year-on-year change
Pozitivny trend Neutralny trend Neutralny trend
For most of the extracted raw materials, the volume of extraction has not reached the level of 2005, which is positive in terms of the use of natural resources and the environmental impacts associated with extraction. Since 2015, mineral raw materials mining has seen a slight increase until 2018 and a decline thereafter.

Despite the year-on-year increase in the extraction of mineral resources, the share of the extraction of mineral resources in their reserves does not indicate a problem with their exhaustion.

Summary assessment


 

 

Detailed assessment

Mining of mineral deposits is carried out underground, surface or combined, using the most suitable mining methods. The most important factors that determine the choice of mining method are the geological and mining technical conditions of the mineral deposits and their impact on the environment, nature and the landscape located immediately around the deposit.

Geological reserves of exclusive deposits in 2022 amounted to 20,216 million. tons with a significant preponderance of industrial minerals (15,215 million tons). In 2022, mining of mineral raw materials on exclusive deposits amounted to 27.8 million. tons. During the year 2022, there was a slight increase in the mining of mineral raw materials on exclusive deposits compared to 2021 by 1%. Similar to previous years, industrial minerals, including construction raw materials, significantly dominate both geological reserves and mining. In 2022, the share of extraction of mineral fuels to reserves was 0.10%, for metals 0%, for industrial minerals 0.08% and for construction materials 0.54%.

In the recent period, there has been a gradual decline in mining activity due to the increase in the prices of inputs to the process of mining activity and activity carried out in a mining way and, not least, the consequences of the economic crisis in Slovakia and in the world. The result of this unfavorable economic and economic situation is the gradual liquidation of either underground or surface mining operations. If the adverse impact of these facts on the social situation of employees in these organizations is not taken into account, one of the positive indicators is the visible improvement of the quality of the environment around the former mining organizations. Stricter criteria for assessing environmental impacts when permitting mining activity or activity carried out in a mining manner are one of the ways to achieve the effect of sufficient assurance of its protection by natural and legal persons already at this stage.

 

 

Contact

Ing. Katarína Škantárová, SAŽP, katarina.skantarova@sazp.sk

Related definitions:

Use of minerals - describes the share of mineral mining at reserved deposits in total reserves – minerals in general, and broken down into mineral fuels, metals, industrial minerals and construction materials.
 
Under the Act no. 44/1988 Coll. on the Protection and Use of Mineral Resources (Mining Act) as amended, minerals are defined as solid, liquid and gaseous parts of the Earth's crust, and they are divided into reserved and non-reserved.

Reserved minerals are:
a) radioactive minerals,
b) all kinds of coal, oil and flammable natural gas and bituminous minerals,
c) minerals from which metals can be produced industrially,
d) magnesite,
e) minerals from which phosphorus, sulphur and fluorine and their compounds can be industrially produced,
f) rock salt, potassium, boron, bromine and iodine salts,
g) graphite, barite, asbestos, mica, talc, diatomite, glass and foundry sand, mineral dyes, bentonite,
h) minerals from which rare earth elements and elements with the properties of semiconductors can be industrially produced,
i) granite, granodiorite, diorite, gabbro, diabase, serpentine, dolomite and limestone as far as they are block extractable and polishable, and travertine
j) technically usable mineral crystals and precious stones,
k) halloysite, kaolin, ceramic and refractory clays and clays, gypsum, anhydrite, feldspar, perlite and zeolite,
l) quartz, quartzite, limestone, dolomite, marl, basalt, phonolite, trachyte, if these minerals are suitable for chemical technological processing or melt processing,
m) mineralized waters from which reserved minerals can be obtained industrially,
n) technically exploitable natural gases unless they belong among the gases referred to in point b).
 
Other minerals are non-reserved minerals.
 
Natural accumulation of minerals forms a deposit. Deposits of reserved minerals (exclusive deposits) constitute mineral wealth of the state and are in its possession. Deposits of non-reserved minerals (mainly building stone, gravel-sand and brick clays) are part of the land under the section 7 of the Mining Act.
 

Methodology:

Exploitation of mineral deposits is done in underground, surface or combined method, using the most appropriate mining methods.
Information on stocks and mining are processed based on the Register of reserves of exclusive deposits of the Slovak Republic (SR BZVL), which is annually produced by the department of Geofond, State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr for the SR Ministry of Environment , and on and the information provided by the Central Mining Authority.
According to the Act no. 51/1988 Coll. on Mining activity, explosives and state mining administration, section 5a, the Notification of mining operations and activities carried out by mining methods and communication of the results:
- The organization is obliged to report mining activities and activities carried out by mining method to the Circuit Mining Authority respective for the place of activity performance.
- The organization shall annually notify in writing the competent Circuit Mining Office respective for the place of activity performance of results of mining activities, activities involving mining procedures or other action under this Act for the previous year. The results shall be communicated in the report which is to be submitted not later than at the end of January of the following year.
- In the report the organization shall specify the following results of:
a) mining activities under the documentation that was the basis for the authorization of mining activities,
b) mining of non-reserved minerals deposits under the plan of deposit exploitation,
c) other action governed by this Act as required by the respective Circuit Mining Authority.
 
All organizations, even though they report the amount of extraction in thousands of m3 (e.g. building stone, gravel-sands, sands, brick clays), shall always specify the final amount of mining in kt (after calculating the average bulk density of mineral mined). This does not apply to natural gas.
 
Classification of reserves for exclusive deposits of SR is regulated by the section 14 of Act no. 44/1988 Coll. as amended, and Decree of the SGI No.6/1992 Col. on classification of reserves and reserves calculation of exclusive mineral deposits. Reserves of exclusive mineral deposit are classified into following categories according to the stage of survey, knowledge of the deposition mode, quality, technological characteristics and mining conditions:
– Z-1 (proved mineral reserves)
– Z-2 (probable mineral reserves)
– Z-3 (supposed mineral reserves)
 
According to economic viability, the reserves are classified into economic reserves and potentially economic reserves. Economic reserves are reserves currently exploitable, and comply with recent technical, technological and economic conditions of mineral deposit or its part exploitation. Potentially economic reserves are currently unusable; it is assumed that they will be exploited in the future, taking into account the expected technical, technological and economic development.
 
According to the possibility of exploitation, conditioned by mining technology, operation safety and determined safety pillars, the reserves are classified blocked reserves and free reserves.
Blocked reserves are reserves in safety pillars of opencast and underground constructions, facilities or mining works, as well as in pillars, determined for safety of operations and protected interests. Other reserves are defined as free.

 

Data sources:

SGIDS

Related indicators:

Related international indicators:

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Linked references: