Hydro Launches Cutting-Edge Recycling Unit for Low-Carbon Aluminum: The New Era in Sustainable Metal Production

In recent news, Hydro has launched a new recycling unit at its Årdal primary aluminium plant in Norway, with an investment of EUR 86 million. The company aims to blend primary aluminium produced with renewable hydropower with up to 30% post-consumer aluminium scrap in their upgraded casting line.

The facility in Årdal now produces Reduxa 3.0 aluminium with a carbon footprint of less than 3.0 kg CO2e/kg of the metal, which is significantly lower than the global average. Eivind Kallevik, Executive Vice President of Hydro Aluminium Metal, emphasizes the increasing demand for low-carbon aluminium, particularly in the automotive industry. The advanced technology and expertise of the team in Årdal enable customers to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards their climate goals.

With ongoing investments and recent upgrades at the plant, Hydro Årdal is well-positioned to provide low-carbon aluminium to the European market for many years to come. Hydro is committed to becoming a net-zero aluminium producer by 2050 and has already made significant progress towards a 30% reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. In addition to recycling post-consumer scrap, Hydro is also implementing carbon capture and storage initiatives and developing a new electrolysis process that could potentially eliminate CO2 emissions from primary aluminium production altogether.