With a simple cut of the scissors, the $800 million Aurubis Richmond, LLC plant in the Augusta Corporate Park officially joined the Richmond County business community.
The Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the culmination of phase one of the project, which has been under construction since 2022.
Toralf Haag, CEO of Aurubis AG, told the hundreds assembled for the event that the ribbon cutting was a landmark day celebrating professionals who worked together to achieve a momentous accomplishment.
“First and foremost, we are metals for progress, driving sustainable growth across the world,” he said. “For more than 150 years, Aurubis has been Europe’s leading producer and one of the world’s largest power recyclers. We are chemists and entrepreneurs who have spent centuries developing the technology, skills, and drive to produce the finest metals from primary to primary and recycled sources.”
The plant will recycle copper, precious metals, and non-ferrous materials. It will be part of the growing electric mobility chain in Georgia. The company will produce materials found in lithium-ion batteries and other electronics.
David Schultheis, President and Managing Director of Aurubis Richmond, said in the coming months, the facility will be able to process 90,000 tons of recycling materials every year.
And this is just the start.
“With phase two, which is already in construction, very much visible outside of this room, we will have the capacity to process over 180,000 tons,” he said. “Aurubis invested in training and intends to bring more than 230 direct jobs to the Augusta area. In fact, we already have 150 staff on site, many of which are here with us today.”
Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who participated in the groundbreaking ceremony in 2022, returned to the plant for the ribbon cutting to mark its opening. He said projects like this highlight the assets that made Georgia the number one state to do business for the 11th year in a row, as announced a week earlier by Area Development Magazine.
“We are certainly proud of that achievement, because it translates into success in communities all across the state like we’re celebrating here today,” he said. “We can just look at Augusta and the surrounding area for confirmation of that. Since I took office a little over five and a half years ago, we’ve announced 3,000 new jobs and $2.36 billion in investment in Augusta, Richmond County, and over 6,300 new jobs and over $3.2 billion in investment in this broader region of the state. And these are just projects that the state worked on. This is not counting the organic growth that is happening in this local community with the local chamber and economic developers every single day.”
Inge Hofkens, COO of Multimetal Recycling at Aurubis AG, said Aurubis Richmond didn’t happen by chance, and it didn’t happen overnight.
“The road to success wasn’t always a straight line, remembering that economic factors in the last two years were heavily influenced by several challenges,” she said. “But we had a clear vision and a strong will to see this project reach its full potential. And here we are, our amazing team, we owe a debt of gratitude.”
She closed with three simple phrases, summing up the company’s commitment to Richmond County.
“We are here to stay. We are fully committed. And this is only the beginning.”
