The extraction of precious metals at the Ada Tepe mine near Krumovgrad has ended after the complete exhaustion of available reserves, the subsidiary of the Canadian company DPM Metals announced. The enterprise is moving to a phase of closure and dismantling, and the fate of the current 269 workers is being decided through specialized career programs and redeployment to other industries.
The closure of mining activities is not an emergency, but a stage set at the start of the project. According to the company's management, the last production explosion was carried out in mid-April 2026. The closure process will take place in stages, including technical shutdown, dismantling, large-scale reclamation and subsequent monitoring of the terrain.
Some of the existing equipment will be dismantled and refurbished to serve the company's new project - Coka Rakita in neighboring Serbia. Construction there is expected to begin in early 2027. In parallel, in June the company announced the discovery of new large deposits of gold and copper in the "Brevene" area near Chelopech.
To support its 269 employees, the mine management organized a specialized career forum on July 16. The goal is for people who are about to be laid off to make direct contact with potential new employers. Ten leading companies from the mining, metallurgical and construction industries in our country participated in the event.
The affected workers have the opportunity to participate in training in over 20 different areas, including heavy equipment management, foreign languages and renewable energy technologies. One of the alternatives discussed is a move to the company's other enterprise in Bulgaria - – “DPM Chelopech“. However, this option hides challenges due to the different location and the specifics of the mining, which is entirely underground there.
The more enterprising employees get a chance to start their own business. Some of them have already registered their own companies, which are directly financed with funds from a specially created fund of the company in Krumovgrad.
In the second quarter of the year in “Ada Tepe“ 11,000 ounces of gold equivalent were produced, bringing the total for the first half of the year to 23,000 ounces. After the full completion of the reclamation activities, 95 percent of the mine's territory will be restored and returned to the European ecological network “Natura 2000“.