About us

MINPROEKT EAD is a commercial company established in the Republic of Bulgaria, registered in the Commercial Register at the Registry Agency under UIC 831616457 pursuant to the Commercial Register Act.

Seat and registered office: 1756 Sofia, Studentski District, 14 Kliment Ohridski Blvd

Ownership and management: Minproekt EAD is a commercial company with one hundred percent governmental participation in the capital stock, where the governmental rights are exercised by the Minister of Energy. The Company has a one-tier management system – Board of Directors:

1. Prof. Dr. Luben Ivanov Totev – Chairman of the Board of Directors
2. Stanislav Nikolov Stankov – Member of the Board of Directors
3. Rumen Georgiev Bikov, MEng. – Meng. Executive Director

 

MINPROEKT is capable of designing:

  • Open-pit and underground mines & quarries, including 3D modeling of deposits;
  • Process plants and belt conveyors for bulk material products, and automated control systems thereof;
  • Industrial and public buildings & facilities;
  • Hydrotechnical facilities, incl. water treatment plants;
  • Infrastructure sites – roads, railway lines and bridges;
  • Low and high voltage cable systems and lines up to 110 kV, substations;
  • Environmental and landscaping projects;
  • Wellness and sports centers;
  • Geotechnical and hydrogeological assessments are an integral part of our activities, as well as concession analyses, technical and economic feasibility assessments of investment project proposals; appraisals of real estate, machinery and buildings, farmlands and plantations. Our specialists have contributed to the development of safety rulebooks for underground coal mines, underground mining of ore and non-ore deposits, and open-pit mining of mineral deposits.

We have setup notified bodies that are unique for Bulgaria: :

  • Notified body for conformity assessment of explosives for civil uses, Directive 2014/28/EU– Testing and certification of explosives made by manufacturers from Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine, Cyprus, etc.
  • Notified body for conformity assessment of equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, Directive 2014/34/EU, together with our own test center:– Testing and certification of equipment and protective systems made by manufacturers from Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Latvia, etc.;– Evaluation of maintenance and repair facilities and explosion risk assessment at sites with potentially explosive atmospheres;– Training of employees involved in the performance of overhauls, routine maintenance and operation of equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.

Minproekt EAD has implemented an Integrated Management System that includes Quality, Enviromental and OHS Management System, in compliance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.

We are a full member of the Bulgarian Chamber of Mining and Geology, Scientific and Technical Union of Mining, Geology and Metallurgy, and Chamber of Engineers in Investment Design – we are a proactive member that has been contributing to their development and supporing their causes.

 

History

MINPROEKT was established back in 1956 as an organisation for mining and industrial engineering design, structured to provide design services and a scientific and technological basis for the COAL SECTOR of the country’s energy supply system. MINPROEKT became a highly specialized research and design institute for the coal sector in a short time after its establishment.

The underground and open-pit mines in the Pernik, Bobovdol, Maritsa-West, Balkan, Black Sea, Kyustendil, Pirin and Sofia coal basins were constructed according to designs furnished by MINPROEKT. The pilot-scale resource projects in the Maritsa-East lignite coal basin were jointly developed through international cooperation with mining institutes and companies from Ukraine, Russia and Germany – Troyanovo 1, 2 & 3 Mines, and Briketna Fabrika (Coal Briquetting Plant).

In addition to the coal industry, MINPROEKT also prepared the designs for the construction of many ore mines near the towns of Madan, Madzharovo, Kardzhali, Burgas, etc., for example the Stahanov, Cherveno Zname, Meden Rid, Propada, Mladenovo, Bardtseto, and Kremikovtsi Mines.

By the end of 1980s, MINPROEKT had extended its activities to include the design of facilities for the production of aggregates, and design of quarries with crushing and screening lines – to meet the demand for aggregates by various industrial enterprises and cement plants.

The MINPROEKT’s contribution to the development of the mining industry has materialized in most of the open-pit and underground mines in Bulgaria, to include all aspects of the mining industry:

Maritsa-East Mines

MINPROEKT prepared design concepts that were original in comparison with the global mining practice, and methodological guidelines on the sizing of the open-pit flanks at the Maritsa-East Lignite Basin, used later for the upgrade, expansion and consolidation of the Mines. A modern system for managing the quality of lignite coal mining was introduced at the Maritsa-East Mines according to a design furnished by MINPROEKT. As the Chief Designer of the Maritsa East Mines, MINPROEKT developed a concept for the coal mining in the Lignite Basin, preserving the potential of the three Coal Mines at minimal long-term costs and staying ahead of the demand by the existing and new consumers.

Underground Coal Mines

In the engineering sector, MINPROEKT’s specialist units have built and introduced plant and equipment to be used in the mining, development and auxiliary operations in underground mines. We have designed materials handling systems for horizontal conveyance and hoisting: belt and chain conveyors, shaft cages, and auxiliary equipment for the mechanical wagon exchange at mine yard hoisting shafts.

MINPROEKT has been working on coal treatment technologies since 1962, participating in design and research projects to improve the operational performance of the following coal processing plants: Thompson, Bobov Dol, Pernik, and Tvarditsa, as well as Briquette Production – town of Galabovo. The improvements include better coal treatment, a higher degree of mechanization, and automation of main and auxiliary processes.

Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation

In the environmental sector, MINPROEKT has developed integrated projects for protection and rehabilitation of the natural environment at operating coal mining sites in the following major areas: technical and biological rehabilitation of lands disturbed by past mining activities; water treatment plants for mining, industrial and domestic wastewater. Possible utilization of waste products from coal mining or energy generation in construction has also been investigated.

Occupational Safety and Fire Protection

The MINPROEKT’s activities in the field of occupational safety and fire protection are focused on the provision of applied research services to the coal industry. A number of serious challenges associated with mine fire fighting, dust, methane, accidental coal and gas releases, noise and vibrations, have been overcome – mainly at underground coal mines and processing plants. Packages of measures, policies and activities have been developed, systematically arranged and issued as instructions for mining safety hazard and risk identification and assessment. The following safety codes have been prepared and issued: Rulebook on Occupational Safety in Underground Coal Mines; Rulebook on Occupational Safety in Open Pit Mining; Rulebook on Occupational Safety During Blasting Operations; and Rulebook on Occupational Safety During Underground Mining of Ore and Non-ore Deposits (Updated in the end of 2012).

Explosives & Explosion-Proof Equipment

A state-accredited laboratory facilities have been built for the purpose of testing of explosives, equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, as well as for conducting coal quality assay and control.

Further to the introduced Directives 93/15/EEC and 94/9/EU (ATEX) in 2003, a Body for conformity assessment of explosives for civil uses and a Body for conformity assessment of equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres were setup by obtaining the relevant authorizations from the State Agency for Metrological and Technical Surveillance. Following the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union, the Body for conformity assessment of explosives for civil uses and the Body for conformity assessment of equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres have been notified by the European Commission (EC) as Notified Body MINPROEKT EAD, officially listed in the NANDO (New Approach Notified and Designated Organisations) register of the European Commission.

The Notified Body Minproekt EAD was re-notified in June 2016 due to the suspension of the Directives 93/15/EEC and 94/9/EU (ATEX) and introduction of the following Directives: 2014/28/EU and 2014/34/EU (ATEX).

Extraction and Processing of Non-Ferrous and Precious Metal Ores

Over the past 15 years MINPROEKT has established itself as a designer for the non-ferrous ore mining and processing companies – Aurubis Bulgaria, Asarel-Medet, Dundee Precious Metals Inc.

Applying state-of-the-art methods and techniques, independently or in partnership with leading global companies, MINPROEKT has been preparing Life of Mine ore mining plans for the largest copper-ore deposit in Bulgaria.

Ore processing and structural designs have been prepared for the construction of a process plant and adjacent infrastructure for new gold-ore deposits.

Extraction and Primary Processing of Construction Materials and Non-Metalliferous Minerals

MINPROEKT can design quarries and facilities for aggregates, such as the Koritna and Zlatna Panega quarries held under a quarrying lease by Titan – Zlatna Panega Cement. The following quarries were constructed according to designs furnished by MINPROEKT: Velikan and Kereshlika quarries, which have been providing the limestone needed for the FGD (Flue Gas Desulphurization) Plants at Maritsa East 2 EAD; Matsa and Dyadovo quarries – also for limestone quarrying in the area of the Maritsa East complex; Vladislavtsi, Stanyantsi, and Balsha quarries – for quarrying of aggregates.