Electricity supply begins from Ozernaya substation to En+ Group’s soon-to-be-launched Taishet aluminium smelter

En+ Group’s Taishet aluminium smelter has started receiving electricity from the Ozernaya substation, as declared by the Group, the world’s largest producer of low carbon aluminium and independent hydropower. En+ Group says the supply of electricity has begun to the indoor switchgear inverter complete substation of the smelter.

Mikhail Hardikov, head of En+ Group's energy sector, said: “Connecting the Taishet aluminium smelter to the Ozernaya electrical substation represents a significant step in taking the aluminium industry of the Angara region to a new level. The upcoming launch of the Taishet smelter will be a significant driver for the economic development of the Irkutsk region. Aluminium production at the smelter will be powered by clean and renewable hydropower. Total investment for the entire period of construction will be approximately 13 billion roubles.”

The Taishet aluminium smelter is likely to start its operations in 2021 with an electricity supply of 390 MW, which will increase in 2022 up to 780 MW. Single-circuit lines that transfer electricity from the Boguchanskaya hydropower plant will connect the Ozernaya substation and the Taishet aluminium smelter, supplying renewable hydroelectricity. The Ozernaya substation, located near Taishet town in Irkutsk region, is a new generation substation with cutting edge operational management solutions.

Igor Kobzev, the governor of Irkutsk region, said: “For a long time, the Irkutsk region government has been working successfully with En+ Group meeting the region’s needs for high-quality energy supply. Moreover, our cooperation has supported the effective development of the regional industrial policy. The company implements complex projects to improve the energy system of the whole region. But even against this history of successful collaboration, this project to launch the Taishet aluminium smelter stands out.”

Once commissioned, the Taishet aluminium smelter will add an additional 430 thousand tonnes of capacity to En+ Group’s total production capacity. The first launching complex will consist of 352 RA-400 electrolysers with a current up to 440 kA. The new smelter is expected to become on the key assets of En+ Group’s metal business in Siberia and one of the most environmentally friendly enterprises in the global aluminium industry, creating around 3000 new jobs.

En+ Group is currently modernising its facilities and developing and introducing best available production technologies to achieve its low greenhouse gas emissions goal. Besides, the company is ramping up the production of its low carbon aluminium brand ALLOW, which has lower carbon footprint than the industry average.

At the beginning of 2021, En+ Group had revealed its ambition of becoming new zero by 2050 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35 per cent by 2030.