Unifico Copper has announced the opening of its new two million square metres hi-tech facility for copper processing in Ras Al Khaimah.
500,000 tonnes
The Swiss company has said that the facility is expected to start with gradual production by the fourth quarter of 2013 and then increase it meet the total requirement of the UAE within the next five to seven years from date of operation.
It will eventually supply up to 500,000 tonnes of LME (London Metal Exchange) standard copper cathodes a year to the UAE and the Middle East, said Unifico Copper chairman Khurshid Shah.
Major economic contributor
"Our new facility will be the first plant in the Middle East to be set up by the owners of the mine themselves, with a lifespan as long as those of the Chilean mining sites. This will be a major contributor to the economy of the UAE and Arab world as a whole," Shah said.
Training for locals
Unifico Copper also revealed that it will be providing onsite training to UAE nationals in various areas of specialisation.
