The EUR 130 million investment will boost Hydro’s annual capacity for aluminium car body sheet from 50,000 tonnes today to 200,000 tonnes.

The new facility will meet the future market growth of lightweight automotive body panels, using Hydro´s new formable aluminium alloys. Lightweight design with aluminum enables vehicles to save fuel and emit less CO2 through the entire lifecycle.

"The investment is meeting customers' increasing demand for high-performance aluminium sheets for lighter car bodies," says Kjetil Ebbesberg, Executive Vice President and head of Rolled Products.

“Innovative aluminium solutions help save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the use phase of the car. The investment is also strengthening the aluminium cluster in the region, also counting our primary aluminium production in Neuss and the Alunorf rolling mill,” says Ebbesberg.

Hydro is also investing EUR 45 million at its Neuss primary plant, adding a large facility to shred, sort and recycle used aluminum products, in particular used beverage cans.

The new car body sheet production line in Grevenbroich is expected to start operations in the second half of 2016. The new production line will employ around 25 people.