Eti Alüminyum to Start First Rolling Mill Production in 2025

Eti Alüminyum targets first product from new mill facility capable of hot and cold rolling production in 2025. The new rolling mill, implemented with TRY 3 billion in investment, will provide USD 350 million in support for closing the current account deficit while creating 285 jobs. Cengiz Holding subsidiary Eti Alüminyum continues to achieve firsts in the sector through technology investments and R&D work while simultaneously investing in a new facility. Recently commencing a new rolling mill investment in Konya Seydişehir, the company will implement the new facility for hot and cold rolling production with TRY 3 billion investment. Mehmet Arkan, General Manager of Eti Alüminyum, made the following remarks on the matter: "We continue our production by adding technology investments and R&D work to our company's half-century of experience. With aluminium production of 82,000 tonnes, we meet 10% of domestic market demand while offsetting USD 250 million in annual imports through high-value-added domestic production. With our new rolling mill investment, we will increase this figure to USD 600 million while creating an additional 285 jobs." Noting that aluminium rolled products imports have reached 170,000 tonnes in Turkey in recent years, Arkan continued: "The foreign currency paid out for this exceeds USD 600 million. To prevent this; ensuring supply security in strategic sectors such as defence industry, while being able to produce aluminium products used in aircraft fuselages, as raw material for armour materials and in the shipbuilding industry, we have commenced a new rolling mill investment in Seydişehir. In this rolling mill, we plan to produce hot and cold rolled products with a width of 2.5 metres, which the defence industry particularly needs at present. We will start with 100,000 tonnes of production; however, our production capacity will be capable of reaching 200,000-250,000 tonnes. On the other hand, with the 'Ground Alumina Unit' added to the aluminium production facility at our Seydişehir plant, we will be the first in our country to produce special alumina, which is currently fully imported. In Turkey, with special alumina developed by our own colleagues and which we will begin production in the third quarter of this year, we aim to reach 40,000 tonnes annual production capacity."  

We will now recover 250 tonnes of lithium annually from bauxite residue

Explaining that they have made significant progress in R&D work, Arkan stated that they are working to recover lithium from bauxite residue, and continued: "As you know, lithium is one of the most important metals used in electric vehicle batteries. We are carrying out the lithium recovery initiative from bauxite for the first time in the world; for this reason we filed a patent application one year ago. We completed the initial production stage and sent it to TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Centre (MAM). We received positive results and began pilot production. Next year we will begin full-capacity operation and will recover 250 tonnes of lithium annually from residue products. In addition to lithium, we continue our work to recover rare earth elements" he said.

We source all the electricity we use in production from renewable resources

Expressing that as a result of all Eti Alüminyum's work they are advancing rapidly towards the goal of 'green aluminium' production, Arkan stated, "In addition to our Oymapınar Hydroelectric Power Plant, we constructed four solar power plants with 163 MW installed capacity on facility land. Thus, since last year we have sourced all the electricity we use in production from renewable resources" he said. Noting that through afforestation work on the factory site to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they have planted over 170,000 trees, Arkan added that thanks to these investments they have reached greenhouse gas emission levels 50% lower than the rate set by the EU. Founded in 1967 and beginning production in 1973, Eti Alüminyum has been operating under Cengiz Holding, one of the industry's leading groups, since 2005. After being taken from the Privatisation Administration, the facility has accelerated renewal, capacity increases and technology investments, with investments exceeding USD 700 million made to date. Thanks to all these investments, today Eti Alüminyum, which possesses Turkey's only integrated facility capable of producing from ore to finished product, produces goods used in a wide range of areas from window profiles to aircraft, from tourism to defence industry.