Aurubis Bulgaria breaks ground on 409 mln euro plant upgrade

Over the next four years, Aurubis aims to boost the plant's copper production capacity from 230,000 tonnes to 340,000 tonnes per year, the ministry said in a press release. Additionally, the company will develop two new PV plants, Auribis 2 and Auribis 3, with plans for a fourth solar park next year, which would bring its total green energy capacity to 41 MWp.

The company commissioned its Aurubis 1 solar park for own use at the end of 2021. Last March, ESCO Bulgaria, a former unit of Czech power utility CEZ, said it would develop, install and maintain two PV plants with a total capacity of 13,000 kWp at Aurubis Bulgaria.

Aurubis Bulgaria also plans to replace energy-intensive units with more efficient alternatives, modernise its main production processes in 2025 and enhance water purification and slag processing operations, the company said in a separate statement.

The initiative is part of the company's long-term strategy to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and ensure sustainable production of key materials for the European economy.

In November, Aurubis said it is putting 46 million euro ($49.2 million) towards boosting copper yield from slag processing operations at its Pirdop facility and making its flash smelter operations more environmentally sustainable.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)