The mining sector has not attracted the desired attention of investors in the recent period. The utilization of permits granted to entities year after year is decreasing.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, on September 29 of this year alone, issued at least 11 notices initiating revocation proceedings for a series of mines in the country, while the total number of revoked permits since the beginning of the year has reached 26.

The reason for the group revocation of the last 11 permits seems to be the lack of mining activity for a considerable time. So the entities that are holders of these mining permits have ceased mining activity for more than a year. This is actually the dominant reason in recent cases.

In some other cases, the reason was the failure to fulfill the investment plans that the companies that received the permits promised to make in these mines. The recently revoked mining permits are for mines in Bulqiza, Kukes, Librazhd, Lezha, and Perrenjas.

Earlier this year, the Ministry revoked several permits because the companies had not made financial guarantee payments for rehabilitation for 2024.

This payment is sanctioned by law and must be paid annually by companies that own a mining permit over a certain area. This amount of money must be provided by the company in order to be used to return the terrain to its previous state.

During 2024, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources revoked 19 mining permits, where, in addition to the reasons related to the failure to exercise the activity and the payment of the guarantee, there were also cases of failure to fulfill the obligation related to the work plan or when the entities made incorrect declarations to the National Agency of Natural Resources. Therefore, the declarations did not correspond to the factual situation on the ground where the entity exercised the activity.