EGA accelerates six-fold expansion of Leichtmetall in Germany to boost aluminium recycling

Image source: EGA

Emirates Global Aluminium is strengthening its role in Europe’s aluminium value chain, announcing a major expansion of its German subsidiary, EGA Leichtmetall, that will transform the site into one of the world’s most advanced recycling hubs. The company is positioning the project as part of a broader strategy to meet growing European demand for high-quality aluminium made from post-consumer scrap - particularly from automotive and aviation customers.

The new facility, to be built near Hannover, represents an investment of about USD 170 million, with first hot metal expected in 2028. It will increase EGA Leichtmetall’s recycling capacity more than six-fold, adding 110 thousand tonnes per year of scrap sorting capacity and 153 thousand tonnes per year of melting and casting capacity. The existing Hannover site has melting and casting capacity of around 30 thousand tonnes per year.

What sets the project apart is its technical ambition. The new site will be among the first globally to combine a state-of-the-art scrap sorting system, advanced furnace technologies and an integrated salt recovery process in one location.

The plant will be equipped with X-ray and laser sorting systems to separate scrap by alloy, grade and impurity level, expanding flexibility in scrap inputs and enabling EGA Leichtmetall to apply decades of blending expertise to produce high-quality aluminium from post-consumer scrap for the first time. Energy-efficient melting furnaces will be built with the ability to convert to hydrogen use in the future, while the casting line will produce secondary ingots in nearly all wrought alloys, as well as low and high iron content foundry alloys.

In aluminium recycling, salt is used to bind impurities during melting, generating salt slag as waste. At the new facility, salt will be almost entirely recovered for reuse. The only solid waste expected is aluminium hydroxide, which can be used in cement production, and non-aluminium scrap fractions.

To know about 2026 aluminium industry trend, visit: Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026.

Meeting Europe’s growing appetite for recycled metal

Europe is already the world’s third-largest recycled aluminium market after the United States and China. Recycled aluminium currently meets about 40 per cent of the continent’s total aluminium demand, with consumption around 4.9 million tonnes each year. According to CRU, that figure is expected to climb to 7.2 million tonnes annually by 2033.

Alongside its recycling ambitions, EGA remains a major supplier of primary aluminium to the region, shipping over 600,000 tonnes a year. The European automotive industry is the largest consumer of the company’s CelestiAL solar aluminium.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said, “It is technically very challenging to consistently produce high quality aluminium from post-consumer scrap, but this is what European industries such as automotive and aviation are increasingly demanding to meet consumer expectations for product performance and sustainability. Our new EGA Leichtmetall aluminium recycling plant will be one of the most advanced in the world. It will enable post-consumer scrap to be considered more often for the most demanding applications, and it will grow EGA’s role as a partner for a green Europe. We will apply our experience from expanding our Minnesota recycling plant to this new project in Germany.”

Also read: Europe’s primary aluminium output rose only 0.9% in 2025 - are CBAM and policy pressures steering the shift toward 51% recycling?

Expansion in the US and UAE

EGA is mirroring its strategy across regions. In the United States, the company operates EGA Spectro Alloys in Minnesota, where the first phase of an expansion featuring similar sorting technologies has recently been completed. A second phase is underway that will increase the plant’s total capacity to 200,000 tonnes per year during 2027.

Back home in the UAE, construction of the country’s largest aluminium recycling plant is nearing completion - further signalling EGA’s intention to blend primary production strength with world-class recycling capability across key global markets.