(Sharecast News) - Metlen Energy & Metals said on Tuesday that it will invest nearly €25m in recycled aluminium producer EP.AL.ME as it looks to strengthen its integrated aluminium operations and improve profitability.

The FTSE 100 group said the investment would fund new automated sorting, processing and melting equipment, allowing EP.AL.ME to handle more complex aluminium scrap streams, including additional categories of post-consumer scrap.

Once fully developed, the project is expected to increase total production across the operations to more than 250,000 tonnes and improve profit margins at both EP.AL.ME and Metlen's Aluminium of Greece plant.

Metlen said EP.AL.ME would increasingly act as a hub for the collection, sorting and pre-processing of scrap, while Aluminium of Greece would provide the scale and metallurgical capabilities needed to incorporate recycled material into higher-value products.

The company said the investment would allow it to source larger volumes of less-processed scrap, creating additional value internally and making its aluminium production model more vertically integrated and competitive.

Metlen added that aluminium recycling requires around 5% of the energy needed to produce primary metal, while the project was also aligned with EU efforts to improve industrial resilience, strategic autonomy and the circular economy.

Metlen shares were up 1.6!% at €48.34 by 1033 BST.

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