Ecological situation in the town has improved considerably

The company has invested a lot of effort and significant financial resources to make incredible changes in the field of mining and they are visible to the “naked” eye nowadays. Only those who do not want to see them can say that things in Bor are not changing for the better, said the mayor of Bor. – Zijin has so far invested almost 900 million US dollars in the technical reconstruction of the former RTB Bor, 143 million dollars in ecology, and 311 million dollars in corporate social responsibility. More than 2,000 young people were employed by Serbia Zijin Copper, so the company became an important part of Bor and a pillar of the town’s economic development, Huang Zhaoyu said
BOR. – In Bor, the relationship between mining and ecology has always raised questions, and the link between the two has been difficult. With the arrival of Zijin, however, things began to change, so green mines and new plants were built, production increased, while the pollution and the number of days with excess emission of sulfur dioxide was reduced. Therefore, I am sure that when Serbia Zijin Copper completes the construction of all plants in a year or two, the mines of this company will also be of green nature, much in the way of “Cukaru Peki”. This, among other things, was reported to the press by the Mayor of Bor, Aleksandar Milikic, at a press conference held on November 6 in the Town Administration.
Manager of Human Resources Department in Serbia Zijin Copper Huang Zhaoyu pointed out that Zijin has so far invested almost 900 million US dollars in the technical reconstruction of the former RTB Bor.
– We have additionally invested $ 311 million in corporate social responsibility. 48.43 million dollars was spent on taxes, and 1.8 million dollars on donations. So far, more than 2,000 young people were employed, so we have largely solved the problem of unemployment in the town. Serbia Zijin Copper has become an important part of Bor and a pillar of economic development of the town – Zhaoyu underlined.
Mirjana Maric, Manager of the Environmental Protection Department in Serbia Zijin Copper, pointed out that the Chinese company had invested 143 million dollars in ecology in the previous two and a half years.
–The analysis of the situation of the living environment in Bor and Majdanpek, which was done in order to determine the current situation in this area before signing the Agreement on Strategic Cooperation between Zijin Mining Group and the Government of Serbia, unequivocally showed that RTB Bor has problems with gas and dust emissions, as well as with wastewater. There was no money to resolve these problems before, so Zijin first made investment plans and projects, and now they are being implemented one by one. Thus, within the project for the reconstruction and increase of the Smelter capacity, a new plant for waste gas treatment was built, as well as a system for directing fugitive gases. The installation of an electrostatic precipitator is underway in the Smelter; as for the Tank House, investment has been made in a plant for the treatment of wastewater and the copper extraction, and in Sulphuric Acid Plant an investment has been made in a plant for the treatment of acidic water and wastewater. In Majdanpek, “Veliki Krivelj” and “Krivelj Quarry”, devices for reducing dust emission have been installed at the ore crushing and grinding facilities, and dust stabilization systems have been procured for all mines – said, among other things, Mirjana Maric.
The importance of cooperation between Serbia Zijin Copper and the local governing authority of Bor is evidenced not only by the significant investments the Chinese company made in projects that will change the ecological situation of the town but also by other investments that enable the town to develop rapidly, said Aleksandar Milikic.
–The company has invested a lot of effort and significant financial resources to make incredible changes in the field of mining and they are visible to the “naked” eye today. Only those who do not want to see them can say that things in Bor are not changing for the better. One of the indicators of these changes is in the records of the National Employment Service. Data from 2018 show that there were about 6,500 unemployed in Bor at that time, while there are 3,500 now. This means that in less than three years, about 3,000 people have been employed directly by Zijin and indirectly by various subcontractors of the Chinese company. The data on salaries is also one of the indicators of a better life in Bor. The average salary in RTB in 2018 amounted to 68,160 dinars, while today it amounts to 98,250 dinars. On the other hand, the average salary in Bor in 2018 was around 53, and today it is 74.5 thousand dinars. This means that residents of Bor, after Stari Grad and Palilula in Belgrade, have the highest average salary in the Republic, and I am sure that after the New Year we will surpass those two Belgrade municipalities, thanks to Zijin and others who connected to the development and business of this company – said the mayor of Bor.
Aleksandar Milikić added that the town’s “cash register” in 2018 amounted to 1.8 billion dinars and that this year’s budget is three billion dinars. – Projections for 2022 say that the town budget will amount to at least four billion dinars and that will enable us to complete all the work we have started. In the previous four years, we have asphalted 77 kilometers of roads from the budget financial means, which no local governing authority in Serbia has done. In addition to that, 47 kilometers of water supply pipeline should be added, and the company Serbia Zijin Mining helped us to do that by financing the construction of 12 kilometers of water supply pipeline in Metovnica – said the mayor of Bor and underlined that 2022 will be the year of significant development of the town.