Mohamed El-Gousky, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) met with a delegation from DrasChem Specialized Chemicals company to discuss steps for establishing a sodium cyanide production plant at the Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals Complex in Alexandria.
In its first phase, the plant is to produce and export 50,000 tons of sodium cyanide, a substance used in gold extraction, with an investment cost of $200 million. Once operational, the first-phase output will be equivalent to five times the current domestic demand, meeting an important part of the needs of gold mines in the African continent.
DrashChem is an Egyptian Company established as a private free zone project after securing the cabinet approval. The company has begun detailed engineering design, project structuring, and raw material supply contracting. First-phase production is targeted to start in 2028.