Hydro plans to recycle aluminium within the primary production process at its Norwegian smelters

Hydro aims to recycle aluminium directly within the primary production process at its smelters in Norway. This will minimize the company’s industry-leading climate footprint from primary aluminium and increase production through the use of post-consumer scrap.

“We are currently piloting this innovative solution at our Høyanger plant. Following this verification, we aspire to apply this approach across our Norwegian smelters – with an initial ambition of adding 10 percent to our total primary production in Norway through post-consumer scrap,” said Head of Primary Production in Hydro Aluminium Ola Sæter.

“This would enable us to offer our most climate-conscious customers a new and improved alternative in their sustainability efforts,” Sæter commented.

Hydro’s average CO2 emissions are only 25 percent of the global average and available to customers as Hydro REDUXA certified low-carbon primary aluminium.  The company also manufactures Hydro CIRCAL with at least 75 percent recycled, post-consumer aluminium scrap.

“In Norway we do have the competence, skills and deep technological understanding necessary to be a leader within our global industry, driving the development of circular solutions for the circular economy and combining profitability and sustainability,” said Sæter.

Hydro produces primary aluminium based on renewable power at five plants in Norway. The plants have an annual capacity of around 1.2 million tonnes of value-added products of the company’s total primary production globally of just above 2 million tonnes per year.