By Leta Kalamara

 

Metallic minerals, industrial minerals, zeolitic rocks, boric salts are some of the mineral raw materials existing in the Greek subsoil that must be immediately exploited, according to representatives of the sector.

 

The recent report of the Association of Mining Companies (SME) focused on the trends in the mining sector, the conditions prevailing in the modern geopolitical environment, the proposed research as well as the confirmed wealth of the Greek subsoil.

 

According to Konstantinos Yazitzoglou, president of SME, as the consumption of goods increases, so does the demand for mineral raw materials. The question is the competitiveness of the Greek as well as the European mining sector, mainly due to the expensive energy and the tight regulatory framework. Europe has unfortunately lost the production of 400 million tons of mineral raw materials over the last 20 years. It produced one million tons in 2000 and now produces 600 million tons of mineral raw materials. This means a reduction in production from European mining industries. As far as Greece is concerned, it is mineralogically gifted and its subsoil has a wealth of minerals, but a general survey initiated by the state that will primarily concern their mapping throughout the territory is necessary.

 

Focusing on the geopolitical situation, he pointed out that "the issue of supply chain disruptions and the geopolitical consequences, the issue of East-West and North-South disparities, the new political-economic coalitions, but also the huge issue of climate change, affect significantly all kinds of strategic decisions that we are asked to take" and this also concerns the mining industry.

 

Regarding the current image of Greek mineral raw materials on a European and international scale, as Michael Stamatakis, Professor of Industrial Minerals, University of Athens, said in his report "Greece is third in the world production of perlite, second in the world production of pumice, fifth in the world production of bentonite, second in the production of ferronickel in the European Union, tenth in the world production of magnesite, and first in the European Union in bauxite production. Moreover, Greece is the unique producer of hundite-hydromagnesite in Europe."