The small Ivaylovgrad villages of Rozino and Gugutka have suddenly found themselves at the centre of an economic conflict over plans by Tintyava Exploration AD to develop gold mining operations in the area. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the project has already been submitted.
Known as the Tintyava project, the development is being presented by its investor as a potential economic boost for the region, with investments of more than BGN 200m expected during the first two years alone. The plans envisage more than 1,000 jobs during the construction phase and 250 permanent positions for operations, as well as the construction of a new high-voltage power line intended to strengthen the electricity network across Ivaylovgrad municipality.
Who is the investor?
The investor is Turker Global Madencilik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Turker Mining). At the end of 2024, the company acquired a 70% stake in the Rozino deposit from Canadian company Velocity Minerals.
The reported price of $59m is notable, particularly because the purchase was made while the project still faced significant uncertainty and had not yet successfully completed the environmental impact assessment procedure.
Public reaction
In March, Ivaylovgrad municipality published a notice on its website announcing public consultations on the EIA report in the villages of Rozino, Konnitsi, Gugutka, Byalgradets and the town of Ivaylovgrad.
At the beginning of April, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds was among the first organisations to respond. It launched a petition, “Stop the Rozino Mine”, supported by the Citizens for the Eastern Rhodopes association.
The organisations warned that one of Bulgaria’s few truly wild and untouched rivers, the Byala Reka in Ivaylovgrad municipality, could be polluted by a new gold mine.
They also raised concerns about the destruction of habitats, planned water extraction from a tributary of the Byala Reka that already dries up each year during periods of low water, and the location of a tailings facility just 500 metres from the slope above the river.
On 6 April, the GERB-run Ivaylovgrad municipality published a call urging residents to support the petition.
“Friends, one of the wildest and most beautiful corners of Bulgaria is under threat,” the municipality said. It warned that the planned Rozino mine could destroy the natural environment around the Byala Reka and the Eastern Rhodopes, an area of clean waters, unique biodiversity and livelihoods for local people.
The following day, Svetlana Mitosheva, a parliamentary candidate for Progressive Bulgaria who had worked for Tintyava Exploration, invited the party’s lead candidate in Haskovo region, Dimitar Stoyanov, to her office in Ivaylovgrad to discuss the concerns surrounding the project.
Greece formally seeks involvement in the EIA procedure
In a letter dated October 2024 and published on the Environment Ministry’s website, the Greek government informed Bulgarian authorities of its intention to participate in the environmental impact assessment procedure for the project to extract and process polymetallic ores from the Rozino deposit in the Tintyava area of Ivaylovgrad municipality.
Citizens for the Eastern Rhodopes says it has identified significant discrepancies between the investor’s claims and the facts.
While Tintyava Exploration describes the project as a nine-year operation, the civic petition refers to a “35-year plan for large-scale exploitation that would turn the region into an industrial zone for decades”.
There are also concerns about the use of potentially hazardous chemicals during the flotation process. Combined with the risk to archaeological sites that have not yet been formally registered, these concerns have contributed to growing public mistrust of the project.
In an attempt to address the criticism, the investor says it will use technological solutions it describes as the “best available techniques” currently in use.
Supporters of the project have warned that if Ivaylovgrad rejects it, the development could instead be pursued through neighbouring Kruмovgrad.
The new Turkish owner faces the difficult task of demonstrating that the project’s economic benefits are not simply a way of securing short-term acceptance at the expense of long-term damage to the environment.
The company is also keen to move ahead with the project as the Ada Tepe mine, operated by Dundee Precious Metals, is expected to close in 2026.
The future of Rozino is expected to be debated in depth at public consultations in late April. Meetings are scheduled for 27 April in Rozino, Konnitsi, Gugutka and Byalgradets, followed by a consultation in Ivaylovgrad on 28 April.
This is the second attempt to develop the project
The current EIA procedure is the second attempt to move the project forward.
In November 2021, Tintyava submitted a proposal for an environmental impact assessment for the development of a gold and silver ore project covering 621.81 hectares.
By January 2022, a series of objections had been submitted, including by the coalition For the Nature in Bulgaria and the Civic Movement to Combat Organised Political Crime.
The main concerns centred on the project’s potential negative impact on the protected areas of Eastern Rhodopes and Byala Reka.
On 11 January that year, Tintyava Exploration formally requested that the administrative procedure be terminated. Ten days later, the director of the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Haskovo officially closed the EIA procedure.
