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Latest news/ KURUM's environmental permit revoked!

2026-11-12 09:44:00Fokus SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Latest news/ KURUM's environmental permit revoked!
KURUM International

The Ministry of Environment has revoked the environmental permit of the company KURUM International for its metallurgical activity in Bradashesh, Elbasan. 

The decision comes at a time when the company is also involved in the investigations of the Durrës Prosecutor's Office into the scandal of 102 containers of hazardous waste, which left for Thailand and returned to Albania in October 2024.

The Minister of Environment, Sofjan Jaupaj, signed on November 3, 2026, Order No. 540, through which the type A environmental permit, with number PN-3843-09-2016, of the company KURUM International, for its activity at the Metallurgical Plant, is revoked.

According to the document available to EKOFIN.al, the decision includes a number of the company's industrial activities, starting from the production of cast iron or steel, including primary and secondary smelting, processing of ferrous metals, operation of foundries, use of aromatic natural gas or LNG, production of lime in rotary kilns, as well as processing and welding of metals.

The repeal of the environmental permit constitutes an important development for the company's activity in Elbasan, as the type A permit is one of the main authorizations for the exercise of industrial activities with a significant impact on the environment.

Decision after inspection and appeal procedures

The Minister's order is based on an administrative process developed during 2026. According to the document, the Directorate of Inspection and Control at the National Environmental Agency, with the final inspection decision no. 9469 prot., dated June 25, 2026, had proposed the revocation of KURUM International's environmental permit.

Subsequently, by decision no. 3028/7 prot., dated 15 September 2026, the Appeals Review Commission at the General Inspectorate decided to accept the company's appeal and to uphold the final inspection decision. Subsequently, the Commission at the National Environmental Agency, by decision no. 12101/1 prot., dated 21 October 2026, proposed the revocation of the permit.

This proposal has been formalized through an order from the Minister of Environment, which stipulates that the repeal takes effect immediately.

The National Environmental Agency has been tasked with notifying the National Business Center and the company KURUM International of the decision.

The document does not provide a detailed explanation of the specific violations found during the inspection, but refers to the administrative decisions that led to the proposal to revoke the permit.

The scandal of 102 containers of toxic waste

The decision of the Ministry of Environment takes on particular importance due to the criminal investigation involving KURUM International regarding the export of hazardous industrial waste.

The issue became public in 2024, when a shipment of 102 containers of industrial waste, departing from the Port of Durres to Thailand, was returned to Albania in October, following international concerns about the nature of the materials transported.

According to the announcement of the Durrës Prosecutor's Office, dated February 4, 2026, KURUM International has been identified by the prosecution as the producer of hazardous waste, while the company "Sokolaj" as the exporter of the cargo.

The prosecution alleges that the company collaborated with other entities to hide the true nature of the waste and to carry out its export in violation of applicable legislation.

KURUM International has denied any connection to the export of hazardous waste. The prosecution's allegations remain the subject of criminal proceedings and do not constitute in themselves a final judicial decision on the company's liability.

However, the inclusion of the company's name in this investigation and the recent decision to revoke the environmental permit once again put the issue of control of industrial activities, waste management, and compliance with environmental standards in the spotlight.

What happens to the plant's activity?

The revocation of the environmental permit raises important questions about the continuity of KURUM International's industrial activity in Elbasan.

The Type A permit covered a wide range of metallurgical processes, including steel production and processing, foundries, and metal processing.

The loss of this authorization creates direct consequences for the environmental legal basis for the exercise of these activities.

KURUM International has previously been at the center of developments related to the operation of the plant and labor relations./ ekofin


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