“Investing in America” Initiative
In early November, Jill Biden, the United States’ First Lady paid a visit to Aurubis AG’s facility located in Augusta, Georgia which is still under construction.
As part of the administrations “Investing in America” plan, Biden travelled to visit Aurubis as it is located in one of five key regions identified as a ‘Workforce Hub’ that will benefit from an influx of jobs for “skilled professionals” from federal backing and private investments.
“It is truly an honor to have First Lady Jill Biden visit our Aurubis Richmond site,” Inge Hofkens, Aurubis’ Chief Operations Officer of Multimetal Recycling comments. “By building this state-of-the-art recycling plant, Aurubis is creating long-term, secure jobs for more than 200 people here in an industry that is strategically important to the U.S.”
“The metals we return to circulation are essential to the mobility and energy transition and an important contribution to the electrical vehicle ecosystem. This also fits perfectly to Georgia’s Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance initiative. The Workforce Hub initiative supports our commitment to training workers for the challenging tasks in our secondary smelter.”
Aurubis to Invest $700M
Aurubis is making a significant investment of around $700 million to construct the first secondary smelter in North America which will be dedicated to processing complex recyclables. The site is scheduled to begin operations during the second half of 2024.
Aurubis Richmond is also under expansion of its facility which is set to be finished by 2026. When complete, it will give the firm the capacity to process up to 180,000 tons of complex materials like printed circuit boards and insulated copper cable each year. The state of Georgia has been identified by the metals producer to possess “ideal conditions for tapping the great growth potential of the U.S. recycling market.”
“Increasing awareness for sustainability and a significant jump in collection volumes are generating roughly 6 million tons of recyclable, metal-bearing materials in the U.S. every year, a main driver for the investment decision of Aurubis,” the company stated.
“The pro-business climate and excellent infrastructure in Georgia, including logistics and a stable energy supply at competitive prices, provides Aurubis with perfect conditions for profitable growth,” Roland Harings, Aurubis’ CEO, explains. “Thanks to the support of Georgia state officials, we continue to see opportunities for contributing our expertise and becoming a multi-metal recycling pioneer in the U.S.”
Harings also notes that the Inflation Reduction Act, at the federal level, has given Aurubis a chance to speed up its future U.S. growth and investments.
“We are in a strong financial position as a company and ready to invest more in the U.S. in keeping with our ‘Metals for Progress: Driving Sustainable Growth’ strategy,’” Harings affirms.
“Our commitment encompasses our many efforts to act and do business sustainably, efforts we have already made in the past and will continue to push forward in the future as well,” he concludes. “Those who buy from Aurubis today and in the future can be assured that our metals are at the forefront when it comes to their environmental footprint.”
