Hydro boosts aluminium recycling in Neuss

(September 19, 2007)

PUSHING PERFORMANCE: By starting furnace operations, Economy Minister Christa Thoben and CEO Eivind Reiten add 50,000 tonnes of recycling capacity to the Neuss plant.

The twin-chamber furnace has the capacity to produce, through recycling, up to 50,000 tons of liquid aluminium annually, including coated litho and foil scrap.

The furnace is under continuous operation and converts residue - coating or lacquer - directly into processing energy.

The Hydro Aluminium plant at Neuss, with an annual output of 231,000 tons primary liquid metal and 350,000 tons of rolling ingot cast, is the largest and most efficient primary aluminium production facility in Germany.

A unique asset
Deliveries are set to increase to 400,000 tons per year, feeding the aluminium cluster of rolling mills in Neuss and Grevenbroich, a unique asset within the light metal industry.

Eivind Reiten, Hydro President and CEO, said: “Our recycling furnaces save us metal costs. They benefit our customers with shorter, faster ways to re-gain aluminium over and over again. Thus, we further strengthen a close, permanent material loop, enabling us to optimally capture and provide the energy-efficient benefits of our metal.”

COMMUNITY: Neuss Mayor Herbert Napp handed over a city flag to plant manager Bernhard Eich.

A major contributor
Christa Thoben, Economy Minister for Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany´s largest federal state, emphasized that the aluminium industry, with a recycling rate of up to 80 per cent, is a major contributor to environmental and climate protection.

“Our state is committed to this industry and wants to help to develop this location further,” said Christa Thoben, adding that part of this had to do with the reliable and economically viable supply of energy.