THE local government units (LGUs) of Isabel and Merida have given their support to the establishment of the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone (LEIZ).
The Board of Investments (BOI) said in a statement Thursday it has secured resolutions of support from these LGUs last October 29.
The BOI said LEIZ will operate in accordance with the international eco-industrial park framework, promoting sustainable practices across industries.
LEIZ will support the operations of the country’s only copper smelter and refinery in Isabel, the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. (Pasar) with electrolytic copper cathode as the primary product.
The BOI said final products and byproducts of the Pasar are utilized across industries, including copper wire rods, copper wire, nickel processing, and steelmaking, enhancing efficiency and minimizing waste.
Identified as one of the flagship projects of the BOI, the LEIZ is proposed to be the first ecological industrial zone in the country that aims to promote the clustering of copper and copper-related industries guided by the principles of circular economy and ecological industrial parks. The master development plan for LEIZ lays down the economic benefits not only to the Province of Leyte but also to the entire Region VIII. The project is one of the possible measures to bridge the gap in the local copper value chain and propel the full integration of the industry from mining to downstream processing as envisioned in the Copper Industry Roadmap.
