A senior Norilsk Nickel official said that the company is exploring opportunities for metallurgical projects both in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.
When asked by journalists whether the company is planning such projects in the Kingdom, Anton Berlin, vice president and head of Nornickel Sales Division, noted that the matter is under consideration, but no final decision has been made yet.
"There is a very large program there within the [Vision] 2030 strategy, which offers many preferences and benefits, and we are studying it," TASS quoted him as saying. "The country produces minerals, primarily copper and gold. They want to recycle locally; there is a whole list of preferred metals. This is part of the published strategy."
According to him, Saudi Arabia has ambitions to become a metals processing hub. Four industrial clusters have been created for this purpose.
"They offer a preferential tax regime, and the necessary infrastructure is in place such as electricity, gas, water supply, wastewater treatment, a gas station, and everything used in production. Essentially, the investor only needs to build their own processing facilities," he explained.
Berlin also added that Nornickel is exploring other opportunities to participate in projects outside of Russia.
Theodor Lisovoy, Managing Editor, Rough&Polished
