Atlanta’s rolled aluminium firm Novelis broke ground this week on its US$365-million state-of-the-art aluminium recycling center in Guthrie, Kentucky.
The new plant will have a nameplate capacity of 240 thousand metric tons per annum of sheet aluminium ingot while cutting Novelis’s carbon emissions by over one million metric tons each year. Located next door to the firm’s automotive aluminium finishing plant, the new facility will employ around 140 people and will create another 40 positions at the adjacent aluminium finishing plant.
Tom Boney, Executive Vice President and President of Novelis North America, said in a press release that the plant is another link in the long chain of cooperation between his firm and the local economy.
“This groundbreaking marks a major milestone in our ongoing commitment to sustainability and recycling, and also supports our automotive customers’ carbon reduction targets. The Commonwealth of Kentucky continues to be a great partner to Novelis. We are proud to build on the rich 40-year history of our aluminum recycling operations in Kentucky, and look forward to deepening our relationships to ensure our facility has a lasting, beneficial impact in the region.”
Senator Rand Paul, who was on site for the dedication, was excited for the economic benefit the plant is expected to bring to the area.
“I was thrilled to be a part of Novelis’ groundbreaking on their new state-of-the-art facility that will create over 140 jobs for Kentuckians and allow the company to grow its recycling programs to serve customers all across the U.S. I look forward to watching Novelis’ continued success in the Commonwealth and the economic prosperity it brings to Guthrie.”
The new aluminium recycling center will be outfitted with the latest equipment and techniques for aluminium recycling, including shredding and sorting technology. Once online in 2024, the plant is part of Novelis’s wider goal of reducing energy intensity by 2026 and becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Novelis is a subsidiary of Mumbai’s Hindalco Industries Ltd. Based in Atlanta, the firm accounts for almost half of Hindalco’s consolidated revenue. The world’s largest recycler of aluminium, Novelis conducts operations in ten different countries, employs around eleven thousand people, and reported US$11.2 billion in net sales for the most recent fiscal year.