Novelis has begun construction on its $2.5 billion recycling and rolling plant in Bay Minette, Ala, US

The facility is expected to create up to 1,000 new jobs and will have an initial 600 kilotonnes of finished aluminium goods capacity per year focused on the beverage container market, with flexibility for automotive production.

It also adds a new recycling centre for beverage cans, increasing the company’s recycling capacity by 15 billion cans per year when fully operational.

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.”

Novelis has hired its core leadership team to lead the multi-year effort to build the facility. The company is also actively recruiting for open roles in engineering, maintenance, finance, human resources and IT.

Site work is also underway including earthwork, excavation, and piling. Over the next 3 months, Novelis will construct 2 new roadways on the site and expand the utility infrastructure necessary to begin building construction.

Commissioning of the facility is scheduled for mid-2025.

The company selected a leading engineering company as its site layout, engineering and construction contractor, an Alabama-based firm to serve as earthworks contractor, and several manufacturing equipment providers that have longstanding relationships with Novelis across the world.

Tom Boney, executive vice president and president of Novelis North America commented: “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.

“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,” he added.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Boney announced the company’s plans to invest $150,000 in south Alabama non-profit organisations over the next six months.

Novelis welcomed nearly 200 attendees to its groundbreaking celebration, including Governor Kay Ivey, Congressman Jerry Carl, and several local leaders and community representatives.

Novelis also encouraged attendees to recycle their beverage cans and cups at the event in partnership with Mobile Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

To encourage recycling throughout the community, Novelis has launched a partnership with Baldwin County to provide recycling bins and education at all county-owned buildings.

The company plans to invest in additional opportunities to encourage and incentivise Alabamans to recycle more often.