Novelis breaks ground on the aluminum producer’s new recycling center in Guthrie, Kentucky, a $365M investment creating 140 well-paying jobs for Kentuckians.
“I am very pleased to have the opportunity to take part in this ground-breaking ceremony today for a project that will create 140 quality jobs for Kentucky residents,” Gov. Beshear said. “Novelis has seen rapid growth in our state, and this new recycling center in Todd County emphasizes the company’s commitment to sustainability and job creation in the commonwealth. I want to thank the leaders at Novelis for this latest long-term commitment in our incredible workforce.”
Novelis broke ground on its new sheet ingot casting, shredding and recycling center, which will serve the automotive market with annual capacity of 240,000 tons. The new facility will be located near the company’s existing automotive finishing plant on Old Railroad Lane in Guthrie. Novelis leaders expect the project to reduce the company’s carbon emissions by more than 1 million tons each year and enable the company to grow its automotive recycling programs in North America. Use of recycled aluminum as input material requires only 5% of the energy used to make primary aluminum, in turn eliminating 95% of the carbon emissions associated with production.
The new facility was announced in January, just over two months after Gov. Beshear joined Novelis for the grand opening of the company’s automotive aluminum finishing plant in late October. The initial phase included a $300 million-plus investment creating over 150 jobs, including 100 Kentucky residents. In addition to its Todd County operations, Novelis maintains a 130-employee beverage can recycling facility in Berea that opened in 1989. The Madison County facility melts and casts ingots from 20% of the nation’s recycled beverage cans. Novelis also is an owner of Logan Aluminum, a joint venture with Tri-Arrows Aluminum Co., which is a top employer in Russellville.
“This ground-breaking marks a major milestone in our ongoing commitment to sustainability and supports our automotive customers’ carbon reduction targets as well,” said Tom Boney, executive vice president and president of Novelis North America. “The Commonwealth of Kentucky continues to be a great partner for us, and we are proud to build on the rich 40-year history of recycling aluminum in Kentucky. We look forward to deepening our relationships to ensure our facility has a lasting, beneficial impact in the region.”
Atlanta-based Novelis is the world’s largest aluminum recycler and the leading producer of flat-rolled aluminum, with 33 advanced rolling and recycling facilities in nine countries across North and South America, Europe and Asia. The company employs approximately 14,650 people worldwide. More than 225 vehicle models feature Novelis aluminum and the company’s products also are used to manufacture a variety of products including beverage cans, airplanes, computers, mobile phones, flexible tubing, insulating sleeves, license plates and architectural products, such as roller shutters, awnings, roofing, gutters, facades and sandwich panels.
Kentucky is home to 230-plus metals-related facilities, which employ approximately 25,000 Kentuckians. In 2021, Kentucky’s metals industry announced over 1,700 full-time jobs with $975 million in new investments.
Todd County Judge/Executive Todd Mansfield thanked all who had a hand in getting the project to this point.
“On behalf of the residents of Todd County, we thank Novelis leadership for their continued investment in our county and region. We also thank Gov. Andy Beshear, the TVA, Todd County Fiscal Court, City of Guthrie, Pennyrile Area Development District, our education and workforce partners, and our utility partners for continuing to demonstrate strong leadership supporting Novelis and their future growth,” Judge/Executive Mansfield said. “Because of Novelis’ stewardship and regional partnership, our region will benefit from this $350 million capital investment and over 140 new jobs creating hope, opportunity and prosperity for the residents of Todd County and South Western Kentucky.”
South Western Kentucky Economic Development Director Carter Hendricks said he looks forward to furthering the region’s partnership with Novelis.
“The South Western Kentucky region remains a hot bed for economic development activity as demonstrated by Novelis’ recent expansion announcement and groundbreaking. We are proud that Todd County and South Western Kentucky are home to Novelis and their continued growth with this significant capital investment and creation of new jobs,” Hendricks said. “We look forward to continuing to work with Novelis leadership and local, regional and state officials to ensure Novelis’ success for generations to come in our less taxing, more relaxing region.”
Todd County Industrial Foundation President John Walton said the community and Novelis are ready to grow together.
“We are excited to celebrate this ground-breaking with Novelis and our region. We are confident Novelis will continue to enjoy success in Todd County and South Western Kentucky due to our strong workforce, outstanding quality of life and business friendly communities,” Walton said. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to meet Novelis’ needs as they continue to grow in our region.”
Tennessee Valley Authority Senior Vice President of Economic Development John Bradley highlighted the company’s sustainability efforts.
“TVA and Pennyrile RECC are proud to partner with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and Southwestern Kentucky Economic Development Council to support companies like Novelis, committed to creating jobs and investment in the region,” Bradley said. “We congratulate Novelis on the ground-breaking as the company moves toward its goal of creating a more sustainable world, the impact of which will yield dividends for generations to come.”
Novelis’ investment and planned job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.
In addition, Novelis can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
For more information on Novelis, visit Novelis.com.
A detailed community profile for Todd County can be viewed here.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at CED.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitterand YouTube.
Media Contacts:
Crystal Staley
502-545-3714
Brandon Mattingly
502-782-2006
