HAMBURG, Sept 24 (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.