"New Bauxites" has never and will never cut down the munica, a legally protected species, neither for the purposes of geological research nor for possible ore mining.
This was told to reporters by one of the owners of the company, Ivan Ivanović, while showing the area where they are currently conducting geological research.
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"We only learned about the existence of munica in the area where we received the concession at the end of January. On the same day, our engineers downloaded the official data from the website and according to that data, there are several sections where munica is allegedly located, which does not mean that it is present in the area due to fires in previous years, and which partially overlap with our concession area. This is about 15 percent of the concession area, in phases 3 and 4, where we are still not conducting research and where we will only work in a few years," said Ivanović.
He pointed out that an environmental inspector visited them after a report that a pine tree had been cut down and that he determined that there had been no cutting, and that they had hired a court expert to survey the forest located in the area where they were conducting geological research and determine its quality.
According to him, they are sorry that the public has, as he claims, formed a wrong image about the business of the "Novi boksiti" company and the alleged logging of munika.
"We are neither cutting down, nor do we plan to cut down, nor have we ever cut down munika. Perhaps a cubic meter or two of forest will be cut down for the needs of research, but not munika, because no one is allowed to cut it down. The profession of geology and mining says that in this area, if there is ore, it is located at depths greater than 300 meters, which automatically implies that it will be an underground mine. So there is absolutely no need, neither for the needs of research, nor for the needs of possible exploitation, to cut down munika, which is protected by law," Ivanović is categorical.
The area where geological research is being conducted, Kuta II, according to him, is the subject of concessions for the third time so far.
"In media captions from various actors, it is mentioned that we are working at the Prekornica site (King Nikola's Fort), the Lukavica site, which is not true, but rather we are working on the area of the former Bauxite Mines and current mining operations, given that there are mines in the vicinity. So far, no new roads have been built, but several dozen kilometers of existing roads that the former Bauxites once built and used during research several decades ago have been used. The so-called 'zero state' is being prepared for the needs of preparing a Study on the assessment of the impact of the project on the environment, as well as a Study on the classification, categorization and calculation of mineral reserves," said one of the co-owners of the company "Novi boksiti".
He claims that all tender procedures were carried out in accordance with the law, and that the concession act relating to the aforementioned tender was sent by the Ministry of Mining on January 23, 2024, to 12 addresses, including the Ministry of Agriculture and the Forestry Administration.
"The only person we have had a meeting with on this issue is Minister Joković, but we still haven't found a solution. We expect that the situation will be resolved as soon as possible and the facts will be established, and not arbitrary and inaccurate information will be given," Ivanovic said firmly.
He claims that there is no groundwater in the aforementioned area, and they are forced to bring it in by tanker.
"The trigger for us to go public was a fire that occurred a few days ago in an area that is several kilometers away from the place where current geological research is being conducted and which is not part of the area covered by concessions, and for which we were almost accused of starting it. I understand the non-governmental organizations, their concern, and here a few hundred meters from here is a mine that was active 50 years ago and has not been recultivated. But we cannot be collateral damage for something that happened 50 years ago. I urge them to follow up on our contract well, because one of the obligations is the recultivation of a possible deposit," said Ivanovic.
He claims that they have so far invested over three million euros and employed 35 workers, mostly from Župlja, who received three salaries even though they were not working, because the research was interrupted, and that he expects another 30 workers to be hired.
"The fact is that we came to make money, not out of charity, but we also look after the interests of the local community. My roots are from Župa and I really have no intention of doing anything that would prevent me from entering every house tomorrow," said Ivanovic.
Geological research will last at least six years, and estimates, which, according to Ivanovic, are not based on accurate data, are that there are about nine million tons of ore in that area, and that this would mean that exploitation will last 30 years.
"The indications for this deposit where we are currently conducting research are that it is a good quality ore, while everything else is impossible to assess until we perform analyses when we receive samples from the well. The fact remains that if ore is found in areas where there is munika, underground mining will be used, because whether there is ore or not, the law is clear and does not allow the cutting of munika," concluded Ivanović.
The company's director, Željko Markuš, said that the problem was created where there was none and called on the competent institutions to resolve it as soon as possible so that the 35 workers would not lose their jobs.
"We did exploratory drilling, about 30 boreholes, in terrain where no removal was required except for individual trees. We arrived at the terrain where we had to remove, say, ten trees, to allow access for the drill. In order not to run into any problems, we contacted the Forestry Administration to see what to do with the trees, not to see if we were allowed to, because we didn't know we had a problem with that, but to see where to remove the trees, who to contact, but obviously something wasn't right," said Markuš.
The conference was also attended by workers, who, as they said, spontaneously gathered due to fears that they would lose their jobs due to the new situation, as well as to provide support to the company "Novi Bauxiti". If the situation is not resolved, they announced the possibility of a protest.
"Our right to work has been directly denied due to the inaction of the Forestry Administration and certain organizations that are deliberately endangering our business by spreading disinformation. There was no felling of the munika, nor will there be. We gathered spontaneously, and next time we will gather in an organized manner and we will come in front of institutions that are not doing their job. I call on the Government of Montenegro and representatives of the Municipality of Nikšić to get involved in solving this problem, which actually does not exist, and which can be solved in five minutes," said Žarko Glušica, employee representative.
Ratko Đilas, a worker at the Biočki stan pit, pointed out that the opening of new mines is an opportunity for new jobs, especially for the residents of Župa Nikšićka.
"By opening this mine, the entire Župa will benefit greatly. The Biočki Stan pit is mostly worked by Župa residents, and I hope that this will be the case in this new mine. The Đurakov do mine will be closed in a month and the same workers will be employed here, because they have experience. Everyone's interest should be that young people are not displaced, but employed," said Đilas.
The company "Novi Boksiti" Nikšić has been granted a concession for detailed geological research and exploitation of potential red bauxite deposits in concession block four, on the territory of the municipality of Nikšić.
The concession agreement was signed on October 17, 2024, by the Minister of Mining, Oil and Gas, Admir Šahmanović, after receiving authorization from the Government of Montenegro at its session on September 12, 2024.
In July 2024, the Government's decision on amendments to the Spatial and Urban Plan (SUP) of the Municipality of Nikšić entered into force. In the graphic part of that decision, the subject site (KO Kuta II) was defined as a mineral deposit and an exploitation field.
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