Aurubis has started construction of a 10MW solar power plant near its Bulgarian production site in an effort to reach carbon-neutral production by 2050.
The company said in a statement on Friday that it intends to optimize its smelter’s electricity consumption by 11,000MWh per year through this power plant. It estimates renewable energy production of approximately 170,00MWh over a 15-year period through the solar power facility.
The German copper producer indicated that the solar power plant will supply 2.5pc of the plant’s average electricity needs with the share from the plant rising to around 12pc during daily peak hours. Moreover, the plant is expected to help Aurubis reduce carbon emissions by 13,608mt annually and by more than 204,117mt for the planned period of operation.
Aurubis produced 1.22mn mt of copper in the first six months of the company’s 2021 fiscal year, ending March 31, 2021.