Hydro to resume aluminium production at line B at the Husnes primary plant by end-November

Hydro will resume aluminium production at line B at the Husnes primary plant in Norway by the end of November. The decision to restart was delayed earlier this year due to the market collapse caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Husnes had nearly completed an NOK 1.5 billion upgrade project to restart line B with technology spin-offs from the Karmøy technology pilot to lift operational and environmental performance to world-class standards.

 “We are very happy to finally bring Husnes line B back in operation, taking advantage of the extensive technology upgrades we have made and allowing our employees and the Husnes community to look toward the future after years of uncertainty,” said Eivind Kallevik, Head of the Primary Metal business.

The plant has been running for more than a decade at half capacity.

The plant currently produces close to 100,000 tonnes of primary aluminium per year after line B was shut during the financial crisis in 2009. The facility will gradually double production as line B is ramped up.

 “With the line B upgrades, Husnes is among the most climate-efficient aluminium smelters in the world, producing a material acknowledged by the European Union as an essential building block for the low-carbon, circular society,” Kallevik said.

The restart decision is based on market improvements, combined with expectations that Norway will continue to utilize EU’s emissions trading system (ETS) for 2021-2030.