Georgia factory melts metals to return them to the high-tech supply chain
A new Augusta facility is turning up the heat on Georgia’s fast-growing energy sector and electric vehicle supply chain.
Aurubis Richmond, a nearly $800 million recycling facility, began smelting last week, according to a news release. It’s a milestone for the German company’s facility, which aims to play a critical role in recycling metals for fast-growing electronic and battery uses, including EVs, data centers and energy infrastructure.
First announced four years ago, the Augusta plant is the first facility of its kind in the U.S., smelting both common and rare metals for high-tech sectors.
“With Aurubis Richmond, we are the front-runner in multimetal recycling in the U.S.,” Toralf Haag, Aurubis CEO, said in the release.
Built atop 150 acres in Augusta Corporate Park, the facility’s smelting capabilities are expected to strengthen American supply chains for copper, nickel, tin and other precious metals. Those metals are vital materials in lithium-ion batteries and other fast-emerging technologies.
Bolstering the supply chains for those rare earth materials — which currently rely heavily on China and other countries — has been a bipartisan effort for the past few presidential administrations.
For example, American manufacturers are projected to need 1.8 million tons of copper annually, which is estimated to increase nearly 30% in the next five years, Aurubis said. The U.S. currently imports about half its copper needs.
“Aurubis Richmond is now a significant employer for Georgia and plays a major role in the American multimetal supply chain,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in the release. “This facility stands as a testament to American manufacturing, independence, and resiliency.”
Aurubis expects to employ 240 workers in Georgia. The Peach State has emerged as a national leader for EV assembly, battery production and large digital storage warehouses called data centers.
The Augusta plant can currently process up to 180,000 tons of recycling materials annually, but that will expand in 2026 to include printed circuit boards, copper cable, and other metal-bearing products.
Aurubis focuses on smelting metals to go into batteries, but another Georgia facility is recycling those finished products when they’re spent. Ascend Elements in Covington has rapidly grown its lithium-ion battery recycling operation, another key step in the EV supply chain.
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
