Hydro has taken an important step towards sustainable production with the inauguration of its new aluminium recycling plant in Szekesfehervar, Hungary. With an annual processing capacity of 90,000 tonnes, the plant is primarily aimed at the needs of the automotive industry.
The ceremonial opening was marked with the signing of an extrusion bolt by high-ranking guests such as Mauro Spizzo, Head of Hydro Extrusion Europe Region East, Dr Anikó Raisz, State Secretary for the Environment and Circular Economy, and Eivind Kallevik, CEO of Hydro.
Optimisation of the recycling processes
The new recycling plant is adjacent to Hydro's modern aluminium extrusion plant and significantly expands the company's recycling capacities. In the first phase, around 15,000 tonnes of post-consumer scrap per year will be processed there. There are plans to increase this capacity if the demand for recycled aluminium continues to rise. The location of the plant next to the existing pressing plant, which is considered one of the most modern in Europe, allows production scrap to be fed directly back into the melting furnace. This process is not only efficient, but also helps to ensure that new aluminium components for vehicles can be produced within a few days.
Paul Warton, Executive Vice President of Hydro Extrusions, emphasised the importance of recycling production waste and praised the project team for maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety during the development phase.
‘Our customers are not only asking for recycled and low-carbon aluminium. They also want us to recycle their process scrap so that we can create closed loops. With our new and modern recycling plant in Hungary, we are now in a position to offer this,’ says Warton.
Growing recycling network
Hydro's aluminium production plant in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, is the largest aluminium extrusion plant in Europe with six presses, surface coating lines and 300 machines for production. In the future, the Szekesfehervar site will be expanded to include a new extrusion press specifically for automotive products, which is scheduled to go into operation in 2025.
These developments strengthen Hydro's global recycling network. This comprises 34 sites in Europe, North and South America with a total capacity of over 2.3 million tonnes of aluminium per year. Hydro is also planning to build a new aluminium recycling plant in Spain, which will increase recycling capacity by a further 120,000 tonnes and process up to 70,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap annually.
