Novelis breaks ground on its new aluminium rolling and recycling plant worth $2.5 billion

Novelis Inc., the leading producer of aluminium flat-rolled products and the world’s largest recycler, has reportedly broken ground and started construction of its recycling and rolling plant in Bay Minette, Alabama. The project costs $2.5 billion, with advanced facilities, and is expected to create up to 1,000 new jobs. The commissioning of the plant is scheduled for mid-2025.

Initially, the plant will operate with an annual production capacity of 600 kilotonnes of finished aluminium goods, focusing on the beverage container market. It will also have a recycling centre for beverage cans, which will ramp up the company’s recycling capacity by 15 billion cans per year when fully operational.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Steve Fisher, President and CEO of Novelis, said: "Through this investment, we want to demonstrate the strength of our growing customer partnerships, the commitment we have to sustainably grow our business, and the innovative, forward-thinking approach we are taking to modern manufacturing. We are especially proud to celebrate our groundbreaking of this state-of-the-art facility on National Manufacturing Day, which highlights the exciting career opportunities available in our industry."

For the new project, Novelis has already hired a core leadership team and now actively recruiting for open roles in engineering, maintenance, finance, human resources and IT. 

Site work at the project is ongoing, including earthwork, excavation, and pilling; and over the next three months will construct two new roadways on the site and expand essential infrastructure to begin building construction with the help of a leading engineering company and construction contractor.

Tom Boney, Executive Vice President and President of Novelis North America, said at the ceremony, "Today marks an important milestone for our Novelis team as we ramp up construction and grow our team. We seek to become an integral part of this community, contributing to the local economy and advancing residents' quality of life every step of the way.”

He added, "We are grateful for the support we have received from the state, Baldwin County, Bay Minette and other partners as we build our home here in Alabama."

At the ceremony, Novelis also urged attendees to indulge in recycling beverage cans and cups. To encourage the practice, Novelis has partnered with Baldwin County to provide recycling bins and education at all county-owned buildings.

About 200 attendees were present at the groundbreaking ceremony, including Governor Kay Ivey, Congressman Jerry Carl, and several local leaders and community representatives.