A new company in the Augusta area is already expanding its facilities before it has finished construction.
Aurubis AG, a European copper recycler, has been working on a new facility in Augusta Corporate Park since June, as reported in ABD here. But on Tuesday, the company announced it will invest more money to double the size.
Aurubis announced its plans to invest an additional 250 million Euros ($265.8 million U.S.) into the company, which will double its production from 90,000 tons of recycling to 180,000 tons and will hire 75 more workers, for a total of 200 employees. The total investment in the Richmond County plant will be 640 million Euros ($680.5 million U.S.).
“The world needs metals such as copper – which can be recycled without loss of quality or performance – for our cars, mobile phones, batteries, cables, and computers,” said Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis. “Today’s high recycling demand cannot be met by existing facilities. Our increased commitment to the U.S. will be a game-changer – for the environment, manufacturers, and the larger transition to a renewable economy.”
Aurubis Richmond’s first phase is expected to come online in mid-2024 with the completed expansion scheduled for 2026. Aurubis received the necessary approvals for the operation of both facilities earlier in the year.
“Last year, Georgia was proud to welcome Aurubis to our state and celebrate the start of its partnership with the Augusta community,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “With this latest announcement coming well ahead of schedule, we’re thankful to see the benefits of this international brand already coming to hardworking Georgians. We’re looking forward to many successful years ahead as Aurubis plays a key role in meeting the needs of tomorrow’s economy.”
Aurubis, based in Germany, announced the project last fall. The scope of the project includes a state-of-the-art multi-metal recycling plant (see artist rendering above) built on 150 acres. The project would be completed by the beginning of 2024 and be in production by the second half of ’24.
The plant will recycle such items as computer circuit boards, copper cables, and other products containing copper to produce blister copper–smelted copper with a purity of 96 to 99 percent. The blister copper will be used to create other products, primarily in Europe but also in the United States.
