Aurubis turns Pirdop into a European center for copper production

The German mining giant Aurubis is turning a new page in its corporate history in Bulgaria. The company officially announced an investment program worth 400 million euros near the towns of Pirdop and Zlatitsa. It will be implemented in the next four years with the aim of confirming the company’s commitment to the local communities, to Bulgaria, as well as to the supply of critical raw materials that the European economy needs for its decarbonization.

As part of the investment program, the Cathode Copper Refinery Expansion Project broke ground on Thursday. The production capacity of copper will be increased from 230,000 to 340,000 tons per year.

This is the largest investment in the 66-year history of the plant. I thank the contractors, and the entire team, for giving their strength and skills so that in 2026 we can once again say welcome the new extension," commented Tim Kurth, CEO of Aurubis Bulgaria, at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The event was also attended by Dr. Petko Nikolov, the Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Industry, Roland Harings, the CEO of Aurubis Group, Emil Angelov, the CEO of Glavbolgarstroy Holding, Sonia Miklai, General Manager of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, as well as the mayors of Pirdop and Zlatitsa municipalities - Angel Gerov and Lyubomir Tsvetkov.

This is an important day for Bulgaria and for Bulgarian-German relations," Minister Nikolov said during the official ceremony.

He emphasized that the government focuses precisely on investments such as this one, which generate greater added value for Bulgarian industry and production.

In addition to the expansion of production, Aurubis Bulgaria is starting construction of two more photovoltaic parks - "Auribis-2" and "Auribis-3". With the addition of a fourth one next year, the company's green energy capacity will reach 41 MWp.

For the implementation of its investment projects, the German company trusts the largest construction group in Bulgaria - Glavbolgarstroy, which is the long-term partner in all their undertakings in the country.

Emil Angelov thanked the contracting party for their trust and cooperation during the last nearly 8 years for the creation of two separate tailings dams.

Good planning represents perhaps half the success of building a site. We value our partnership for many reasons – your innate instinct to follow the rules, your clear understanding of the importance of human life, as well as the fact that you listen to our expert opinion and together we walk the path of realization of truly complex projects,” Angelov said during the opening.

Aurubis Group CEO Roland Harings emphasized that this is the largest investment in the company's history, but also the largest German investment in Bulgaria. According to him, Pirdop will be an extremely important center for copper supply.

The Group's total investments in its factories in Germany, Belgium and new capacities in the USA amount to 1.7 billion euros.

Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, also gave a welcome speech via a video message, emphasizing that the demand for copper will double in 2025. He said that the Aurubis project will leave a lasting mark and contribute to the increase of Europe’s competitiveness so that it is not dependent on third-country sources.