Norsk Hydro ASA (Oslo, Norway; www.hydro.com) started producing aluminum metal at its technology pilot in Karmøy, marking the beginning of verification at an industrial scale the innovative climate-and energy efficient aluminum technology.
“We’re now producing aluminum in the technology pilot, and we are very excited that we can now start to use this technology at an industrial scale,” says Hilde Merete Aasheim, Executive Vice President for Hydro’s Primary Metal business area.
Compared to the world average, the Hydro-developed technology will reportedly use 15% less energy in aluminum production and has the lowest CO2 footprint in the world.
“Through the technology pilot we have developed the world’s best electrolysis technology: low energy consumption, high productivity, and a low environmental footprint,” Aasheim says.
The groundbreaking technology pilot consists of physical technology elements and an improved process-control system. Several of these elements can be tailored for use in Hydro’s existing aluminum plants.
The technology pilot is designed with an annual production capacity of approximately 75,000 metric tons, consisting of 48 cells running on the HAL4e technology (12.3 kWh/kg) and 12 cells using the HAL4e Ultra technology (11.5-11.8 kWh/kg). Total costs are estimated at NOK 4.3 billion, consisting of net project costs of NOK 2.7 billion and around NOK 1.6 billion in support from Enova.