Facility

Aurubis Bulgaria (Pirdop Smelter & Refinery)

Aurubis Bulgaria EAD (formerly BKME — Bulgarian Copper Metallurgy Enterprise), Pirdop, Sofia Province; acquired by Aurubis (then Norddeutsche Affinerie) in 1997. One of Europe's largest copper smelters: ~300,000+ tonnes/year cathode capacity from imported concentrates. Primary feed for Aurubis Hamburg rod mill. Pirdop is a flash smelter with significant SO2 capture and sulfuric acid byproduct production. Environmental controversies persist related to historical smelting contamination in the Pirdop valley. Source: https://www.aurubis.com/en/company/our-sites/pirdop