Antimony Near Kriva Palanka: Investment or Fire Sale? The Dispute Gets a New Name — the Concessionaire
SDSM says the concessionaire is linked to a VMRO donor. The project still carries a real DFC grant, still at the assessment stage.
The dispute over the antimony mine near Kriva Palanka has gained a new line of argument: SDSM claims the concessionaire for the Luke site, "RI Energetika Pela DOO Skopje," is linked to Gjorge Kachurkov, whom the party describes as a VMRO-DPMNE donor. "What was presented as a 'state interest' and an alleged strategic project with the US is, in essence, a classic business deal," SDSM said in a statement, demanding full transparency on the legislative changes and mandatory public debate.
The health risks cited by critics are not without basis: antimony mining is considered one of the more toxic mining activities, linked to respiratory disease, heart, kidney and liver damage, dermatitis and an elevated lung cancer risk — antimony trioxide is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Critics cite the experience of the Lojane mine, whose waste still pollutes the surrounding soil, water and air today.
On the other side, the project brings a concrete investment: a $5 million grant from the US development finance corporation DFC, channelled through Australian firm Pela Global, officially earmarked for a mineral assessment and environmental study — an assessment phase, not already-approved extraction.
The two claims aren't mutually exclusive: the project can carry genuine foreign investment interest while also involving a local company tied to political donations — the transparency question (who exactly profits, under what terms) remains separate from whether the investment itself is legitimate.
MKNews Hub · Politics · September 23, 2026