In more economic news for the valley, the city of Mission broke ground this Tuesday on a new $50 million aluminum recycling plant. The project is being undertaken by Zerluma, formerly known as Century Recycling, a large Mexican-based aluminum recycling company.

They purchased the land on Conway for about $7 million dollars with the rest of the investment being spent on large machines that are designed and manufactured abroad. The City of Mission has not offered official rebates or other incentives but that might come in the second phase of the development.

Excluding incentives from the city, the plant made sense for them to build in Mission given proximity to the Anzalduas International Bridge, international railway infrastructure, as well as the Port of Harlingen / Brownsville. From a more personal perspective, the owners of Zerluma also own a home in Mission and so are widely familiar with the Rio Grande Valley.

While there is still significant work to be done, this large project is a big win for Mission and the rest of the valley. Construction will yield around 240 temporary jobs and 70 more permanent jobs once the plant is up and running. An economic impact analyst by UTRGV said this plant will generate ~$87 million in annual economic activity for the region. This is good for the city of Mission and the region. Let’s just wait and see if the City gives them any extra incentives.