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Greensboro Novelis aluminum plant reopens following weekend explosion

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  March 5, 2026 10:54am EST
Greene County
FOX 5 Atlanta

The Brief

    • Casting operations at the Novelis recycling plant in Greensboro resumed Wednesday, three days after a significant explosion and fire.
    • Officials say the blast began in an external stack house before spreading to conveyor belts and equipment inside the main building.
    • While the facility sustained damage to its filtration and cold end systems, all employees evacuated safely and the cause remains under investigation.

GREENSBORO, Ga. - The Novelis aluminum recycling plant in Greensboro has reopened after an explosion over the weekend.

What we know:

According to the company, the plant—a global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling—restarted casting operations on Wednesday after staff assessed the facility and cleaned up impacted areas.

The backstory:

The explosion was first reported Sunday evening. Greene County Public Safety and EMA Director Joe Bashore said the blast originated in the "stack house," a filtration component located outside the main building. The explosion triggered secondary fires on conveyor belts inside the facility.

Novelis stated that the explosion damaged a baghouse and "cold end" equipment, though all 16 employees on-site at the time evacuated safely and no injuries were reported.

What we don't know:

The cause of the explosion has not yet been released, and Novelis officials say an investigation is ongoing.

The Source: Information in this article came from Novelis emailing FOX 5. 

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