Hydro Alumetal to install solar panels for low-carbon, recycled aluminium production

Polish aluminium recycling company, wholly owned by Hydro, will increase the use of renewable energy at its Kety plant, leveraging 1,000 MWh of electricity to be generated annually from the new solar panels, expected to be installed and operational during the second quarter of 2025.

Image Source: Hydro

Increasing the use of renewable energy will enable Alumetal’s Kety recycling plant to enhance the production of low-carbon aluminium, advancing the European green transition initiative. This move will also drive Hydro’s decarbonisation roadmap and contribute to a 30 per cent carbon emissions reduction goal by 2030.

“Power is an important input factor for the aluminium industry and switching to renewable energy is critical to decarbonise our value chain. Even if aluminium recycling only requires five per cent of the energy used to produce primary metal in a smelter, every step matters to get to net-zero. The solar panels in Kety are yet another step in the right direction,” said Hanne Simensen, Executive Vice President of Hydro Aluminium Metal.

Installing new solar panels and developing some parts of the plant adaptable to renewable energy will involve a total investment of EUR 870,000. The investment will also include modernisation of the plant’s main security and electrical energy measurement system.

Earlier, an investment of NOK200 million was announced for the modernisation and capacity expansion of Kety plant, which will be completed by the first half of 2025.

Benefits to the local society in Kety

The 1,000 MWh of electricity produced from new solar panels will meet 15 per cent of the plant’s annual power requirement, equivalent to 100 average European households yearly. When the plant will not use the entire electricity, the extra energy will be used to power nearby homes, businesses, and other facilities.

“The solar panels at Kety are another important milestone for Alumetal and a key step in our decarbonisation journey. The use of local, onsite energy production will increase energy efficiency, improve circularity at our plant and lower the carbon footprint of the final, recycled aluminium product we deliver to our customers,” said Agnieszka Drzyżdżyk, CEO of Alumetal.  

On November 4, Alumetal completed an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) to document the environmental footprint of its recycled foundry alloy aluminium products.