Firm praised for efforts to protect environment

First posted 09:13am (Mla time) June 19, 2006
By Vicente Labro
Inquirer

http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=5446

Editor's Note: Published on page B2-3 of the June 19, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

TACLOBAN CITY--THE PHILIPPINE Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. does more than just refine copper and export it to the world market.

Based in Isabel town in Leyte, about 160 kilometers from here, Pasar maintains a fish sanctuary, recycles its effluents so that waste will not pollute the sea and spends money on reforestation. It also has an acid plant facility that allows it to collect sulfuric acid produced by its plant, instead of releasing it into the air.

For its efforts, Pasar has been recognized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as one of its environmental partners in the region.

Mirardo C. Malazarte Jr., Pasar senior vice president for operations and production, said he was happy that Pasar's effort to protect the environment was recognized. He stressed, however, that Pasar does not invest in environmental protection measures just to win an award.
"It is important for us because we stay here," he said.

Pasar, the country's lone copper smelting and refining firm, spends millions of dollars on making its plants more environment friendly, while striving to increase production.

Malazarte said Pasar would spend about $8 million for a new Dore plant to replace its existing 22-year-old facility.

He said the new Dore plant, which would be completed by December this year, "has higher recoveries and uses very clean technology."

Pasar wants to raise production to take advantage of the good market price for its products.
Pasar produces high quality electrolytic copper cathodes, the raw materials for the manufacture of various kinds of electric cables, telecommunication wires, copper shapes and copper-alloy products.

It also produces refined copper anode as well as by-products such as dore, sulfuric acid, selenium, slag, iron concentrates and gypsum, and copper residues.

Main buyers of Pasar products, according to Malazarte, are China, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Malazarte said that Pasar has completed the expansion of the smelter that increased production by 20 percent, or an output capacity of about 720,000 tons of copper concentrates a year.

He added that they are in the process of upgrading their refinery at a cost of about $27 million, and once completed in June next year it would give the company a cathode output capacity of about 215,000 tons a year.

The Pasar port, which is currently undergoing expansion at a cost of about $7 million, could already handle 50,000 tons of vessels when completed in November 2006, he said.