Hydro invests in Kentucky facility

Hydro is investing NOK 150 million ($15 million) into its Henderson facility in Kentucky, U.S. to deliver certified recycled aluminium products to the automotive industry. The investment will both enhance Hydro’s position as the leading producer of low-carbon, recycled aluminium in North America and further reduce the environmental impact from production.

As the automotive industry in Kentucky is expanding, the investment will enable the plant to produce industry-leading advanced alloys for automotive applications, including the proprietary advanced material, Hydro CIRCAL, creating an opportunity to supply Hydro’s most progressive, sustainability-focused customers with this cutting-edge product.

Increased volumes of recycled aluminium for automotive applications
The investment will support two key projects. To meet the specifications of the growing U.S. automotive market, Hydro will install a new homogenization furnace to improve the plant’s recycling capabilities. This will enable the Henderson facility to produce a greater volume of advanced alloys using recycled metals with a lower carbon footprint.

“At Hydro we want to accelerate the green transformation of the aluminium and automotive industries by increasing our use of post-consumer scrap to pull more used material into the value chain and promote a circular economy, while also delivering our automotive customers advanced, high strength alloys,” says Trond Gjellesvik, President of Hydro Aluminum Metals in the U.S.

“As carmakers continue to make metal substitution decisions, particularly for electric vehicles, our investments allow us to support our forward-leaning customers in reaching their climate ambitions.”

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