Hydro Opens New Recycling Plant in Hungary to Meet Rising Demand for Low-Carbon Aluminium
Hydro has inaugurated a new aluminium recycling plant in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, designed to process 15,000 tonnes of post-consumer scrap annually. The facility, which is expected to scale up production over time, addresses the increasing demand for low-carbon, recycled aluminium, particularly from the automotive sector.
Eivind Kallevik, Hydro’s President and CEO, highlighted the growing market for sustainable materials, driven by key industries like automotive manufacturing. “Our most ambitious customers are pushing the demand for low-carbon and recycled aluminium, and this plant strengthens our capacity to meet that demand while solidifying Hydro’s position as a leader in the European market for recycled aluminium solutions,” Kallevik stated.
The new recycling plant is adjacent to Hydro’s existing aluminium extrusion plant, which is regarded as the most advanced in Europe. The extrusion plant, which operates six presses and includes extensive fabrication and surface treatment capabilities, primarily serves the automotive industry. With the integration of the new recycling plant, production scrap from extrusion processes will be recycled directly on-site, reducing waste and enabling the creation of new automotive components within days.
Paul Warton, Executive Vice President of Hydro Extrusions, noted the importance of creating closed-loop systems to recycle process scrap and post-consumer materials. “Our customers not only want recycled and low-carbon aluminium; they also need us to recycle their process scrap. The new facility allows us to provide that service,” said Warton. He also praised the project team for their dedication to maintaining high quality and safety standards since the investment decision in 2021.
With an annual recycling capacity of 90,000 tonnes, the Székesfehérvár plant mainly caters to the automotive industry, which increasingly requires advanced, low-carbon aluminium alloys. The addition of this facility brings Hydro's global recycling network to 34 plants across Europe, North and South America, with a combined capacity of over 2.3 million tonnes of aluminium annually.
Hydro’s commitment to expanding its recycling capabilities doesn’t stop in Hungary. The company has plans to build another recycling plant in Spain, which will add 120,000 tonnes of capacity to its network and be capable of recycling up to 70,000 tonnes of post-consumer aluminium scrap.
Hydro’s Székesfehérvár extrusion plant, already the largest in Europe, is also set to expand further with the construction of a new extrusion press for automotive products, which is expected to be operational by 2025. The plant’s ability to recycle aluminium, a material that can be reused indefinitely without losing its properties, underscores Hydro’s role in the circular economy and its efforts to reduce energy consumption—using only five percent of the energy required for primary aluminium production.
