HAMBURG (Reuters) -Aurubis AG, Europe's largest copper producer, said on Wednesday it had started production at its newly built U.S. metal recycling plant at Richmond in Georgia.

The plant will reduce the need for U.S. metal imports, with production expected to reach full capacity in the first half of 2026, Aurubis said.

With an investment of about $800 million, the plant will process up to 180,000 metric tons of complex waste recycling material annually, including printed circuit boards, copper cable and other metal-bearing products.

Production will include 70,000 tons of high-grade blister copper with purity of 98-99%, along with nickel, tin, and precious metals.

"We intend to sell the copper primarily to U.S. customers," an Aurubis spokesperson said. "This will enable us to meet the growing demand for strategic metals such as copper in the U.S. and elsewhere."

The U.S. currently has a copper demand of around 1.8 million tons per year, with around half imported. The Richmond plant will be a fast method to reduce imports, Aurubis said.

The blister copper produced by Aurubis Richmond can also be further processed into high-purity copper and copper products in Aurubis' international smelting network in Europe.

Aurubis CEO Toralf Haag said the company may consider more projects in the United States.

"With the high availability of recycling material and good local conditions, the American market offers Aurubis appealing prospects that we will continue to consider closely in the future as well," Haag said.