Hilde Merete Aasheim, Head of Primary Metal, Roland Scharf-Bergmann, Head of Recycling, and Clervaux Managing Director Ludovic Dardinier hosted the ceremony.

His Royal Highness le Grand-Duc Héritier of Luxembourg and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel were invited.

The €15 million upgrade has two key features: it allows the plant to take in more post-consumed aluminium scrap and increase output to more than 100,000 tonnes per year. It will also lower energy consumption.

“One recycling plant alone doesn’t save the world. But this expansion is one contribution and one step in the right direction,” Aasheim told the gathering.

“The investment means increased and improved recycling capacity so that we can save more post-consumed scrap and get it back into the loop again. By recycling, we save energy. And, when making new products with this aluminium, for instance replacing heavy steel parts and making cars lighter, we help save fuel and emissions in the use phase.”

Taking the best from the conveying systems, the decoating technology and developing a new way of submerging the 6060 shredded alloys, the Clervaux plant is considered a pioneer in the aluminium remelting business.

The two original melting furnaces were replaced by one new melting furnace of a proven design also used at Deeside in Wales, Azuqueca in Spain, and Henderson and Commerce in the U.S.

Then, one of the current casting furnaces was converted into a second melting furnace. Both furnaces will feed into the other current casting furnace, which itself has been increased to a larger capacity.