New quarries in Czechia? Permits take up to ten years, threatening higher costs for strategic projects

The Czech Republic faces a problem with the availability of construction aggregates and sand and gravel. The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) held a round table at which it recently confirmed that approximately 50–60 % of currently exploited deposits have a remaining lifespan of no more than ten years. The Czech Geological Survey has identified 47 sites, 21 of which are new and expected to receive “strategic deposit” status. While this does not guarantee faster mining permits, it strengthens the public-interest case in negotiations over projects crucial to the state – from the completion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant to high-speed rail.

A study prepared for the Roads and Motorways Directorate (ŘSD) and the Railway Administration shows that projects under their remit alone will consume more than 30–40 % of the Czech Republic’s annual aggregate production. The rest is used by regional construction, housing construction and development projects. Total consumption stands at around 64–68 million tonnes a year, while new capacity has long proved difficult to open. No new greenfield stone quarry has been established in Czechia in the past 35 years, and permitting procedures often take more than ten years.