President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev got acquainted with the activities of the “Demirli” Ore Processing Complex in Canyataq village of Aghdara district on January 13.
Elchi.az reports that Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov and President and CEO of Azerbaijan International Mining Company Limited Rza Vaziri informed the head of state about the complex.
It was noted that the complex includes a copper flotation plant, a wet waste storage, an electrical substation and other facilities. The complex, with a total area of 929 hectares for mining and production, has been reconstructed on the basis of Turkish and German technology. 15.3 million manats of private investment were invested in reconstruction and restoration works.
“Demirli” is the first project in the mining industry to start operating in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. At the copper flotation plant, ore extracted from the “Demirli” mine will be processed and the final product – copper concentrate will be produced. The annual production capacity of the copper flotation plant is 5.6 million tons of ore processing.
The “Demirli” copper deposit, which has been under Armenian occupation since 1993, has been illegally exploited for approximately 10 years since May 13, 2013. Of the 311,000 tons of extractable copper reserves known for that period, 218,000 tons, or 70 percent, were illegally mined.
Currently, the initial exploitation period of the remaining reserves covers 2025–2030. During this period, it is planned to export 85,000 tons of copper metal in the form of concentrate worth 1.6 billion manats to the People’s Republic of China. However, it is predicted that the mine’s copper reserves will increase in the coming years. According to initial geological exploration data, there are approximately 470,000 tons of additional copper reserves here. As a result of the 4-year geological exploration and research program to be carried out, the extractable volume of these reserves will be clarified.
At the initial stage, 980 people were provided with permanent jobs in the complex. 260 of them are former internally displaced persons, including citizens returning to the liberated territories. In the coming years, it is planned to increase the number of permanent jobs to 1,250 for citizens, most of whom represent local communities.
Mining is carried out by “Azerbaijan International Mining Company Limited”, the operating company under the agreement signed in 2024 between “AzerGold” CJSC and the US “R.V. Investment Group Services” company on exploration, development and production sharing of a number of ore deposits in Azerbaijan.
According to the Law approved by President Ilham Aliyev in 2024, the authority to represent the state under the production sharing agreement was entrusted to “AzerGold” CJSC.
Comprehensive measures on environmental protection have been implemented within the framework of the project. Initial condition assessment and environmental monitoring were carried out, and the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment document was prepared based on the results. During the project, relevant monitoring, laboratory analyses, greening works and water recycling systems are applied to reduce dust and noise emissions and protect soil and water resources. Also, after the activity is stopped, technical and biological reclamation of the areas will be ensured.
The implementation of this project is of great importance in terms of ensuring the sustainable development of the non-oil sector in Azerbaijan, increasing the export capacity of our country, and ensuring the efficient and legal use of natural resources in the liberated territories. At the same time, attracting private investments makes an important contribution to the modernization and diversification of the industrial and mining sector in the region, increasing economic activity, and creating new jobs. Very important decisions have been made by the Azerbaijani state to support entrepreneurship in the liberated territories. Sustainable settlement, stimulation of private initiatives, attraction of investments and formation of a favorable business environment in these territories have been defined as one of the main strategic goals. It should be noted that legal entities and individuals operating in our liberated lands are exempt from profit, income, property, land and simplified taxes, as well as the import of machinery, technological equipment and facilities, raw materials and materials imported by residents in these areas for economic activities, from VAT and customs duties for a period of 10 years from January 1, 2023.
President Ilham Aliyev pressed the symbolic button to detonate the rocks.
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President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev got acquainted with the activities of the “Demirli” Ore Processing Complex in Canyataq village of Aghdara district on January 13.
