The European Investment Bank supports Aurubis with 200 million euro for sustainable copper production in Europe

The Aurubis Group, one of the global leaders in recycling and supplying non-ferrous metals, has secured a 200 million euro investment loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The five-year loan will be directed towards two strategic projects – expanding the production capacity of the plant in Bulgaria and building a new recycling facility in Germany, BalkanEngineer.com learned from an official press release from the company.

With the signed agreement, Aurubis secures the support of one of Europe's strongest financial institutions in the implementation of its sustainable development plans.

As part of its corporate strategy "Investments for Progress. Bulgaria 2027," Aurubis plans to invest 120 million euro in expanding cathode copper production at its plants near Pirdop and Zlatitsa. This is the company's largest single investment in the country since 2008. Production capacity is expected to increase by 50% to 340,000 tons per year, with commissioning planned for the 2025/2026 financial year. The expansion will have a direct impact on the country's economy: it will boost exports of copper, one of Bulgaria's leading export products, and create new jobs in the region.

Part of the loan will also finance the 190 million euro Hamburg Recycling Complex project. The new facility will enable the Hamburg plant to process an additional 30,000 tons of scrap and larger quantities of intermediate products from the metallurgical process. This will close internal and external material cycles, increasing resource efficiency and giving a strong boost to the circular economy. The facility is expected to be operational as early as the next financial year.

"Copper is the hidden backbone of the modern economy—it drives the energy transition, artificial intelligence, data centers, and electric vehicles," emphasized Nicola Beer, Vice President of the EIB. Global demand for this metal is forecast to double by 2050, and Aurubis' investment will put the company in an even stronger position to meet the growing needs of the European market.

Photo source: Aurubis, ©Engineer BG via Canva.com