Implementing project pipeline lays the groundwork for a state-of-the-art smelter site in Hamburg

These new projects combined with previously approved projects, some of which are already in progress, mean that Aurubis is currently investing a total of over € 750 million in its Hamburg plant. This includes four flagship investments:

The first is the increased extraction of carbon-free industrial heat. In the future, the roughly € 100 million project could prevent up to an additional 100,000 t of CO2 per year, roughly five times more than the first stage.
Second is the Complex Recycling Hamburg (CRH) project with an investment volume of € 190 million. It will give Aurubis the capacity to process around 30,000 additional t of recycling material and internal, complex smelter intermediary products on a larger scale starting in 2025.
In spring 2024, Aurubis will take new anode furnaces online that can use hydrogen instead of natural gas in the reduction process in the future, a third key step in setting the stage for the transition to carbon neutrality. The around € 40 million investment could potentially prevent around 5,000 t of CO2 per year with the exclusive use of hydrogen.
And fourth, the largest routine maintenance shutdown in the history of the Aurubis Hamburg plant is scheduled for the spring. Aurubis is investing around € 95 million in positioning its Hamburg smelter even more robustly for the future.

“All these projects represent a powerful commitment to the Aurubis Hamburg site, which is central to the success of our smelter network. We’re investing a total of € 750 million in our core business, in recycling activities, and in environmental protection and plant security: The new processing area for precious metals takes security to a completely new level. We are acting quickly, decisively and with resolve – all the takeaways from the most recent criminal activities directed against Aurubis have been incorporated into the plant’s design. And by expanding our filter system for diffuse emissions, we are also intensifying our leading position as a sustainable multimetal producer,” Roland Harings explained.

The Supervisory Board also approved an investment volume increase to € 740 million for the construction of the Aurubis Richmond plant in the US, to which leasing obligations will be added. Additional design and infrastructure requirements, adjustments for inflation, and increased complexity in implementation necessitated the expansion.

Investing in decarbonization: Aurubis nearly doubles the largest in-house solar park in Bulgaria, adding an additional 18 MWp

The company also confirmed plans to expand its solar park at the Aurubis plant in Bulgaria. With an investment volume of just under € 15 million, the company is almost doubling the output of the existing plant and the third stage currently under construction, adding 18 MWp (megawatt peak) for a total of almost 42 MWp. Once complete, the entire solar park will generate roughly 55,000 MWh of electricity per year, covering over 10 % of the Bulgarian plant’s needs. As such, the multimetal provider is upgrading what is already the largest in-house solar park in Southeast Europe today. Taken together, all stages of the solar park will generate enough electricity to power 15,000 four-person households, or the equivalent of a small city. Aurubis will be preventing around 28,000 t of CO2 emissions per year. The approved expansion stage is anticipated to go online in mid-2025.