Copper manufacturer Aurubis to develop 14-MW solar park in Bulgaria

• German copper producer as well as recycler Aurubis AG (ETR: NDA) has put forward plans to spend EUR 530 million (USD 560.5 m) in several projects, consisting of in a scheme to greater than double the capacity of its solar park in Bulgaria to 24 MW.

The Hamburg-based business intends to set up double-sided photovoltaic or pv (PV) modules at its existing 10-MW solar farm within its producing site near Pirdop, western Bulgaria. The project will extend the in-house center's total capacity at an expense of some EUR 20 million, Aurubis said in December.

The enlarged PV plant is anticipated to start generating electricity as early as 2024. Its output is estimated to be adequate to cover the yearly power intake of 9,000 regional homes while conserving greater than 34,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The Aurubis-1 solar park was commissioned in 2022. Its expansion is lined up with Aurubis' strategy to decarbonise its manufacturing activities in Bulgaria and back its goal of cutting Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030. The construction of a third solar plant at the Pirdop site is on the agenda, also.

Besides the solar project, the proposed investment package will certainly likewise back the expansion of the German firm's recycling capabilities in Georgia, the US, and Hamburg, Germany.