Today, Hydro Aluminium opened its aluminium remelt and recycling plant near Madrid, Spain. The new plant at Azuqueca de Henares will serve the Spanish and Portuguese market with an annual capacity of approximately 60,000 tonnes of primary quality extrusion ingot based on the recycling of aluminium scrap. The new plant is part of Hydro Aluminium's network of casthouses, serving all major aluminium markets in Europe and the USA.
Total investments in the Spanish plant are EUR 25 million, approximately NOK 200 million. The opening of the plant consolidates Hydro Aluminium's operations in Spain and Portugal. Hydro Aluminium supplies 150,000 tonnes of aluminium extrusion ingot to the extrusion industry in the Iberian Peninsula, and has over relatively few years reached a market share exceeding 33 per cent. In addition, Hydro is involved in the Spanish and Portuguese aluminium industry, to which it supplies aluminium extrusions, building systems and rolled products. Hydro Aluminio Azuqueca S.A. will have 47 employees.
Hydro Aluminium is a part of Norsk Hydro, the Norwegian oil and energy, aluminium and agri group. Earlier this year, Hydro acquired VAW aluminium AG, an acquisition that makes Hydro Europe's largest aluminium company and one of the top three global companies in the aluminium industry. Hydro also recently acquired the French company Technal, and became world leader in aluminium-based building systems. Hydro Aluminium now has more than 30,000 employees and an annual turn over of more than EUR 10 billion.
Hydro is also a long standing supplier of fertilizers and industrial chemicals in Spain, through Hydro Agri Espana and Hydro C.G. Liqidos.