EGA to expand recycling capacity sixfold in Germany

Emirates Global Aluminium is to invest $170 million to increase its recycling capacity in Germany by more than sixfold.

The new facility of EGA Leichtmetall, near Hannover, will add 110,000 tonnes per year of scrap-sorting capacity and 153,000 tonnes per year of melting and casting capacity, UAE state-run Wam news agency reported.

The first hot metal is expected to be produced in 2028.

EGA Leichtmetall’s existing Hannover site has a melting and casting capacity of 30,000 tonnes per year.

The planned facility will combine a scrap-sorting system, furnace technologies and an integrated salt-recovery process in a single location.

EGA also operates EGA Spectro Alloys in Minnesota in the US, with similar sorting technologies. A second phase is underway that will increase the EGA Spectro Alloys plant’s capacity to 200,000 tonnes per year by 2027.

In the UAE, EGA’s construction of the country’s largest aluminium recycling plant is nearing completion, the statement said.

Europe is the third-largest recycled aluminium market globally, after the US and China. Recycled aluminium meets around 40 percent of Europe’s aluminium demand, with consumption of 5 million tonnes annually.

Further reading:

• Turkish recycling plan to generate $600m per year
• No investment, more efficiency, say GCC aluminium smelters
• Abu Dhabi’s critical metals deal reshapes Gulf security strategy

London-based market intelligence company CRU expects demand to grow to 7.2 million tonnes per year by 2033.

EGA is a key supplier of primary aluminium to Europe, shipping more than 600,000 tonnes annually. The European automotive industry is the largest consumer of the company’s “Celestial” solar aluminium.

This month, Bloomberg reported that EGA is seeking an investment partner for its aluminium recycling plant in the US.

EGA is co-owned by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company and Investment Corporation of Dubai.