The German company Aurubis expands its production in Bulgaria and builds two new solar parks
A symbolic first sod for the expansion of production and the construction of new environmental capacities of the Aurubis plant was made by the Minister for Economy and Industry Dr. Petko Nikolov. This is the largest German investment in Bulgaria, Aurubis Group CEO Roland Harings said at the ceremony.
The German company has launched a new investment programme worth BGN 800 million in its copper plant near Pirdop and Zlatitsa in the next four years. Some of its major projects are the expansion of the cathode copper refinery and the construction of two new photovoltaic parks.
‘This is an important day for Bulgaria and for the Bulgarian-German relations’, Minister Nikolov said during the official ceremony. He stressed that the government focuses on investments such as this, which generate more added value in Bulgarian industry and production.
In his words, German companies are among the biggest investors in Bulgaria. About 30% of the 100 largest investors in Bulgaria are German companies, and Aurubis is the largest of them.
The company’s new investment marks the start of construction to expand the cathode copper refinery. Capacity will be increased from 230 000 tonnes to 340 000 tonnes per year. Refined copper is a key material for the energy transition, connectivity and digitalisation and is a major export for Bulgaria.
The construction of two new photovoltaic parks, Auribis-2 and Auribis-3, has also started. With the addition of a fourth next year, green power capacity will reach 41 MWp.
The programme is part of the company’s long-term strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and ensure sustainable production of key materials for the European economy.
The ceremony was also attended by Sonja Miekley, General Manager of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Economy, Tim Kurth, CEO of Aurubis Bulgaria and President of German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the mayors of the municipalities of Pirdop and Zlatitsa.