The Canadian company Dundee Precious Metals has an interest in starting a new gold mine in the vicinity of Krumovgrad, on the territory of the Natura 2000 site Ada Tepe. Initially the company planned to extract the gold using a cyanide-based method, but during the public hearing of the project in 2005, it became clear that the local communities and the Krumovgrad municipality would not accept the cyanide use. The company then reworked the investment proposal and elaborated a second EIA. The public discussions of which happened in the summer of 2011. Although no cyanide will be used in the gold extraction process, the locals and the municipality want a clean and ecological development of their region, no mine developments and welcome. Moreover, the project lacks clarity regarding the water management in the industrial process, the transportation plans, the mobility of heavy metals in the uncovered land masses which gives enough reasons to the municipality and a coalition of environmental NGOs to start a series of court cases against the realisation of the mining project. As of November 2011, the final decision on the gold mine concession that Balkan Mineral and Mining obtained from the Government in October 2011 lies within the competency of the Minister of Environment. If she accepts the current EIA, the company will be free to proceed with signing up a concession contract and begin the work on the mine.

Expected extraction volumes (total): >850,000 ounces of gold over life of mine Years of operation: 8-9