Knauf, the German supplier of construction materials, said it will build a 53.9 mln euro plasterboard plant near the village of Galabovo, Southern Bulgaria. The size of the project has qualified the German company for certification as First Class Investor by InvestBulgaria Agency, the local investment promotion authority.

The Knauf plant in Galabovo, which will utilise by-product gypsum form the flue gas desulphurisation operations (REA gypsum) of nearby power complex Maritsa Iztok, will produce 30 mln sq m of plasterboard annually and will employ 100 workers. Auxiliary operations will create another 150 jobs.

REA gypsum from the same source will be used for the operation of another plasterboard factory in the city of Radnevo. That project is developed by local company Technogips.

Knauf operates in Bulgaria since 1997 when it acquired the Gipsofazer plant in Vidin, North-western Bulgaria. The company has invested 25 mln euro so far in the plant and another 20 mln euro in its production and distribution operations.