Greek-owned Sometra invests USD 40 million in new plant in Romania

Sometra, a zinc oxides and clinker producer in Sibiu county, will invest USD 40 million in a new, environment-friendly production facility in Copsa Mica, the company announced. The new facility will be built from scratch on the site of the existing nonferrous metals plant. The greenfield investment will deploy technology that allows ecological recycling and the transformation of the landfill slag into two saleable products: Waelz oxides and slag (clinker Waelz). It will help with the recycling of the 3 million tons of slag waste accumulated in more than 70 years of production. The existing plant has reduced its activity since 2009 by stopping most polluting processes, after the economic crisis impacted the local industry. The USD 40 million will cover the cost of installing two new Waelz kilns. Their construction is set to start this year, and they are expected to be fully operational beginning 2020. “Following an investment of USD 3 million in research and development, we reached the conclusion that it is possible and economically feasible to eliminate the 3 million tons of slag waste and turn them into products for export and internal market. The plan is to begin operations in 2020, and will involve the processing of the landfill slag, respectively by internal recycling using its own production capacities”, Christos Efstathiadis, general manager of Sometra Copsa Mica, said. The company estimates that the existing slag will be recycled in about 13 years of production. Afterwards, the business plan foresees the transformation of the facility into a recycling services provider for the other industrial facilities in Romania. Sometra currently employs 25 people. It will hire another 50 when it becomes fully operational, after receiving the environmental permit. Since 1999, the company has been part of Mytilineos S.A, the largest industrial group in Greece, with more than 2,900 employees and USD 2 billion revenues in 2017. editor@romania-insider.com