Toxic tailings dump in North Macedonia to be turned into solar power plant, 29 August 2023

The authorities in Probištip are preparing a plan for the installation of a photovoltaic facility which would at the same time solve a decades-old public health risk. Of note, TAB Mak commissioned a solar power plant late last year on the territory of the industrial town for the needs of its lead battery factory, while Israel-based BIG Shopping Centers and its subsidiary BIG Energia Holdings are developing projects for two such renewable electricity plants.

The next step in the transformation of the local economy and energy system is to rehabilitate the location of the tailings dump which was used by a lead and zinc mine. Probištip is exposed to polluted water from the location, just a couple of hundred meters from the first houses, and also to toxic dust that the wind spreads...

The municipal council has initiated a procedure for changing spatial plans. The idea is to protect the population and the environment from heavy metal poisoning by introducing measures like leachate purification. In the second phase, a solar power plant would be placed on several hectares...

The Zletovo mine continued its operations in 2016, after a one-year break due to bankruptcy.