How Many ‘Dormant’ Subsoil Users Are There in Ukraine and What Resources Do They Cover

In Ukraine, according to official data from the State Service of Geology and Subsoil, there are 154 special permits for subsoil use categorized as ‘dormant’. This group includes licenses whose owners have extracted less than 1% of the balance reserves of the respective minerals over the past ten years. Such ‘dormant’ licenses account for less than 4.4% of the total number of active subsoil use permits — as of April 2025, there are 3,503 registered in Ukraine. Among the extraction licenses (2,444 units), the share of ‘dormant’ licenses is about 6.3%.

This is reported by AgroReview

What Minerals Are Covered by ‘Dormant’ Licenses

The largest number of such special permits has been issued for granite extraction — 38 licenses. The list also includes permits for loams (22), sands (15), limestones (10), and clay (8). It is particularly important that among the ‘dormant’ special permits, there is not a single one related to the extraction of hydrocarbons — oil, natural gas, or condensate.

Verification of Special Permits and Possible Changes

“The mentioned 154 special permits were issued before the second quarter of 2015.”

The government plans to conduct a comprehensive verification of all ‘dormant’ special permits to identify the reasons for the lack of active extraction and to determine whether more efficient use of natural resources is possible. This audit is expected to enhance the efficiency of subsoil management in Ukraine and stimulate investment in the extractive industry.