Huelva, July 21, 2025. Atlantic Copper has begun the final phase of the assembly of the boiler for the CirCular project, one of the key infrastructures of the new advanced metal-recovery plant that is being built in the Huelva metallurgical complex. This milestone represents an important step in the creation of the first plant in southern Europe dedicated to the recovery of valuable metals from waste electronic material.

The installation of the boiler began on May 30th, with the assembly of the first of its five modules. Over the next few days, teams specialized in mechanical assembly and large-tonnage hoisting will complete the process, ensuring the maximum safety conditions during the assembly, which will be visible from outside the industrial complex, until the phase has been completed. The boiler is already inside Atlantic Copper’s facilities, so the installation will not affect any public spaces or activity in the surrounding area.

The boiler has a modular configuration consisting of five large sections, integrated into a metal building, and it will be located above the main furnace to recover the heat from the process. The boiler assembly will be 65m high, equivalent to a 21-story building. Due to the dimensions and distances involved in the operation, a 1,000-ton telescopic crane will be used, with the support of an additional 150-ton retention crane, to hoist the sections, some of which weigh 45 tons.

The CirCular project involves an investment of 410 million euros and will allow the processing of up to 60,000 tons of metals from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) per year, recovering essential materials such as copper, gold, silver, palladium, platinum, tin and nickel. It is the first non-ferrous metal recovery plant of its kind in southern Europe, which will make Huelva a strategic location in the drive towards a more sustainable and digital economy.

“CirCular represents a decisive step in our commitment to the circular economy and sustainability. We are strengthening our capacity to recover strategic metals and are consolidating Huelva as an industrial reference in Europe,” said Macarena Gutiérrez, CEO of Atlantic Copper.

On March 25th, the European Commission declared CirCular as a strategic project within the framework of the Critical Raw Materials Act. This declaration reinforces Atlantic Copper’s key role in reducing external dependence in the supply of critical materials for the European Union.

CirCular is part of Atlantic Copper’s broader strategy to promote the circular economy, which includes heat recovery, water reuse and the development of new technologies to recover other critical metals such as antimony and bismuth.

The plant construction will create more than 600 direct jobs, providing a significant boost for local employment and the economy of Huelva. Once commissioned, the plant will create some 350 direct and indirect jobs, covering technical, operational and management profiles.