Groundbreaking for Hydro’s recycling plant in Cassopolis, US

With a groundbreaking ceremony, Hydro has started the construction of its aluminium recycling plant in Cassopolis, Michigan.

Production will commence in 2023 with around 70 employees. When ramped up to full production, the plant will produce 120,000 t of recycled extrusion ingot per year. The expected investment is USD150m.

The Cassopolis recycling plant will strengthen Hydro’s ability to supply automakers and other industries in the US with recycled aluminium. Aluminium is a strong, tough and elastic material thanks to its low density and light weight. Light-weighting has long been a focus in the automotive industry, as light weight means less fuel consumption in gas and diesel vehicles. Aluminium also plays a significant role in the light-weighting of electric and hybrid vehicles, which then need less electricity and fewer or smaller batteries to travel the same distances. While electric vehicles are now a small percentage of the overall market, amounting to less than 3% of US new auto sales last year, forecasters expect big increases in the next decade.

“Hydro has been in business for as long as Michigan has been making cars, and this is where our infinitely recyclable aluminium really comes to life. With manufacturers switching to electric vehicles, combined with the growing need for aluminium, we see this as an opportunity to bring next-generation aluminium recycling technology that we pioneer in Europe – to the US,” says president and CEO, Hilde Merete Asheim.

The Cassopolis greenfield development will mark the first large-scale production of Hydro’s low-carbon Circal extrusion ingot in North America. This product contains at least 75% post-consumer scrap and has a market-leading CO₂ footprint of just 2.3 kg CO_2e per kg aluminium. With a growing focus on sustainably produced aluminium, a number of North American customers have expressed interest in this product, says Hydro.

Circal

will be used for automotive applications and other transport sectors, as well as for consumer applications and building systems. In anticipation of the upcoming capacity at Cassopolis, Hydro has delivered initial quantities of Circal to US customers from its plant in Commerce, Texas, since last year.

“The Cassopolis project represents a key stepping stone toward Hydro’s goal of doubling recycling of post-consumer scrap in its production processes, and will bring more low-carbon aluminium to our American customers,” says Aasheim.