Download press release - North American Development Bank

Border Environment Cooperation Commission /
Comisión de Cooperación Ecológica Fronteriza
North American Development Bank /
Banco de Desarrollo de América del Norte
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 31, 2016
CONTACT:
Jesse Hereford
210-231-8000
[email protected]
Industrial emissions control project in Coahuila receives US$25 million loan
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Loan provided by NADB and FIFOMI, to Minera del Norte, S.A. de C.V.
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The control system has a 97% efficiency rating for dust collection.
San Antonio, Texas: The North American Development Bank (NADB), the Mexican Mining
Development Trust (FIFOMI) and the steel mill subsidiary, Minera del Norte, S.A. de C.V.
(MINOSA), today signed a US$25 million loan agreement for the installation of an emission
control system that will capture 97% of the particulate matter released into the atmosphere by
secondary production activities in the steel mill facilities of Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA)
located in Monclova, Coahuila.
NADB Managing Director Gerónimo Gutiérrez, FIFOMI Director Armando Pérez Gea and
MINOSA Director of Operations, Arturo Arroyo, signed the seven-year loan agreement, which
will permit the company to install and operate the emission control system with a collection
capacity of up to 29,333 m3/min. of total suspended particles (TSP) for a total of 30,070 tons a
year, which is equivalent to burning about 5.5 million tons of coal for power production.
“This loan, the first that NADB is providing for a project of this kind in Mexico, will set a precedent
for other large industries to take actions to combat air pollution in the border region,” stated Mr
Gutiérrez. “NADB is proud to participate in this initiative, which will improve air quality within
AHMSA’s facilities and surrounding areas.”
The project received the certification of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission
(BECC) in August 2015. Construction is expected to begin in June 2016 and take about 18 months
to complete.
“Altos Hornos de México recognizes the importance of this financial transaction as an investment
that reinforces its commitment to develop environmentally-friendly industrial operations in
compliance with Mexico’s environmental standards and regulations,” stated AHMSA General
Manager Luis Zamudio Miechielsen.
For his part, Dr. Pérez Gea noted that FIFOMI’s participation in this project is a sign of its
commitment to the environment, thus fulfilling its 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, since this will support
respect for environmental regulations and promote a cleaner industrial environment and practices.
“This project, which we are financing jointly with NADB, is the first of several that we intend to
work on together in the mining industry, in order to promote a better environment along Mexico’s
northern border.”
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NADB is a financial institution established and capitalized in equal parts by the United States and Mexico for the
purpose of financing environmental infrastructure projects along their common border. As a pioneer institution in its
field, the Bank is working to develop environmentally and financially sustainable projects with broad community
support in a framework of close cooperation and coordination between Mexico and the United States .