BELGRADE (Serbia), October 9 (SeeNews) – Zijin Bor Copper, the Serbian unit of China's Zijin Mining Group, plans to invest a total of $265 million (225 billion euro) in the reconstruction of the Bor copper smelter, it said.
The company started the project in September, two months ahead of schedule, due to the increased flue gas emissions caused by a malfunction in the plant equipment, which negatively affected air quality in Bor, Zijin Bor Copper said in the latest edition of corporate newsletter Kolektiv.
Zijin Bor Copper plans to complete the reconstruction of the Bor copper smelter by the end of 2022 and will attach priority to the installation of a flue gas capturing and desulphurisation system, which will be completed by the end of 2021, it said.
So far, the company has invested a total of $38.15 million in environmental improvements and plans to make further $120 million investments in the field throughout the working life of the mine, it added.
According to media reports, the Bor city government has filed a criminal complaint against Zijin after measuring stations of the country's Environmental Protection Agency registered excessive SO2 levels for three days in a row in September.
Zijin Bor Copper's deputy managing director Simon Ling said in June that the company plans to invest $1.26 billion in capacity and equipment overhaul, as well as environmental and safety improvements at the Bor mining complex.
($ = 0.84826 euro)