Novelis Inc has produced the first coil on the cold mill at its $5 billion aluminium recycling and rolling plant in Bay Minette.

“Producing the first coil on the cold mill is an important step in commissioning Bay Minette and increasing the supply of rolled aluminium in the United States,” said Steve Fisher, president and CEO of Novelis. “With the North American market being capacity constrained, this investment will help Novelis meet long-term market demand, strengthen our US manufacturing footprint and increase the use of recycled content in our products.”

Bay Minette is the first fully integrated aluminium recycling and rolling plant to be built in the United States in more than 40 years. When fully operational, the facility will add 600 kilotonnes of annual rolled aluminium capacity to serve beverage packaging, automotive and specialty product markets. The plant also includes a recycling centre that will be capable of processing more than 15 billion used beverage cans annually.

All assets at Bay Minette required to commence commercial shipments are currently in the commissioning process. Novelis is working toward customer qualification and commercial shipments, which are on track to begin in the second quarter of 2027.

The highly advanced facility is expected to create up to 1,000 new jobs once fully operational.