Novelis to invest in New York plant

Atlanta-based aluminum producer Novelis Inc. has announced plans to invest approximately $130 million to upgrade its operations in Oswego, New York. The company cites “growing customer demand for sustainable, aluminum flat rolled products” as a reason for the investment.

“This investment further strengthens the plant’s position for additional recycled aluminum inputs and increased recycled content across its product lines in the future,” states Novelis. The company says the project allows it to increase hot mill capacity by 124,000 metric tons at the plant, which serves the beverage can, automotive and specialty products markets.

Part of the investment also will go into “enhancing finishing capabilities for automotive sheet,” says Novelis. The company says construction on the project will begin in the spring of 2022 with work expected to be completed in 2024. 

The project includes upgrades to the plant’s hot reversing mill motors and drive train and hot finishing mill coolant systems and changes to its batch annealing capabilities. The project also will enhance energy efficiency at the plant, says Novelis.

“By investing in modern, energy-efficient upgrades in Oswego, we aim to sustain and grow important partnerships with our valued customers,” says Tom Boney, president of Novelis North America. “These upgrades also strengthen Novelis’ ability to thrive in Oswego as a great place to work and a partner to the community.”

Previous spending at the plant has included a 2015 expansion of the recycling center, which processes roughly 12,500 tons of automotive aluminum scrap per month. Using recycled aluminum requires significantly less energy and water and avoids 95 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with primary aluminum production, says Novelis.