The head of the construction project of the cathode copper production plant in Songun copper denied the transfer of smelting equipment to Songun copper, said:
“To date, not a single number of copper smelting equipment has entered the Songun copper complex and the published news about transferring equipment to Songun and from Songun to other places are rumors”.
According to the Tabrizman news agency, quoting the morning translator, Mohammad Saleh Moradi, stating that five packages should be created for the construction of the smelting complex, said:
“Smelting plant, refinery, flotation, U-tilite, sulfuric acid plant and oxygen plant are needed to complete the smelting cycle With the establishment of a smelter, 100,000 tons of cathode copper can be produced annually in the region of Azerbaijan”.
He said that the capacity of the construction refinery to produce cathode copper is estimated at 200,000 tons per year, adding that the construction of part of the smelting halls has been completed and the required cranes have been purchased and installed.
The official added: 140 billion Rials and 57 million Euros of foreign exchange have been spent so far for the construction and creation of the infrastructure of the copper smelting plant chain, and the required halls and various licenses have been created and obtained.
In response to reporters’ questions about the ceremony held in March of last year, during which the smelting equipment was announced to enter the Songun Copper Complex, Moradi said:
He added: “After the contract was signed, due to sanctions, the foreign company canceled the project and it was decided to entrust the implementation of this project to domestic companies. 37 domestic companies announced their readiness for this work and 11 companies received tender documents.”
He said that a budget of 265 million euros has been allocated for the construction of a smelter with a capacity of 100,000 tons, which will be covered by Sungun Copper and will take 4 years to complete the project.
