HOUSTON, April 17 (Reuters) - Aurubis is on

track to open its U.S. copper recycling plant in Georgia by

December as part of a plan to boost production and processing of

the metal in North America, its CEO said on Wednesday.

The $700 million facility, which is supported by U.S.

President Joe Biden's administration, will have an initial

capacity of 90,000 metric tons per year that will grow to

180,000 metric tons in a second phase, CEO Roland Harings told

the World Copper Conference in Santiago.

"We are finalizing the installation now of a

first-of-its-kind recycling facility in the U.S.," he said.

"It's very significant and it has room for growth."