After just over two years, Aurubis Richmond has finally officially come online.
The German copper producer cut the ribbon on the first phase of its metal recycling facility at Augusta Corporate Park in an elaborate ceremony, Friday morning, with more than 200 guests in attendance that included Mayor Garnett Johnson, Columbia County Board of Commissioners Chairman Doug Duncan, Augusta Tech President Jermaine Whirl and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
Former Augusta Metro Chamber president Sue Parr emceed a series of presentations, ushered in by background performance by the Augusta University wind ensemble and kicked off with a rendition of the National Anthem—before a 40-foot American flag—by opera singer Sawyer Branham.
Inge Hofkens, Aurubis’ chief operations officer of multimetal recycling, highlighted the company’s goal to decrease its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. David Shultheis, president of Aurubis Richmond, touted its partnerships with local charities such as United Way of the CSRA and Golden Harvest Food Bank, and its commitment to contribute some $200,000 toward local job training and education.
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Aurubis broke ground on the copper smelting plant on June 17, 2022, promising to bring more than 120 jobs to Augusta. Six months later, it announced its plans to expand the facility with a second phase, doubling its operations and swelling its cost to about $800 million.
“Because the future is made for metals. This knowledge has driven us for more than 150 years and will continue to guide us for the millennia to come,” said Aurubis CEO Toralf Haag in his address, naming the reasons the international manufacturer’s substantial investment in its Georgia footprint. “Second, because the North American market offers enormous potential for growth and metal recycling, and with that, an important safeguard for the America’s strategic metals. And thirdly, because of you, the people of Georgia and the US have proven to be the most exceptional partners.”
The Augusta Richmond plant, once both phases are completed, is slated to process more than 180,000 tons of recycled complex metals per year—it is currently equipped to produce half that—mostly copper, nickel, platinum and palladium, themselves used in the production of electronic components such as circuit boards.
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Kemp acknowledged how the new facility impacts the state’s spot in the electric vehicle manufacturing arena and its economic development, underscoring Georgia’s placing number one, for the 11th consecutive year, among the best states for business by Area Development Magazine.
“[We’re] on the forefront of letting the market work and having a great business environment,” said the governor. “We’re trying to support this company and their mission. It fits right into what we’re doing with our E-mobility efforts and being the number one state in the country when it comes to E mobility.”
Aurubis Richmond is located at 439 Valencia Way. Construction of its second phase is expected to be completed in 2026.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
