Novelis starts operating electric pusher furnace at Sierre aluminium plant

Novelis has commissioned an electric pusher furnace at its aluminium plant in Sierre, Switzerland, marking a new step in the company's decarbonisation plans.

The furnace is used to heat aluminium ingots before they are rolled into finished products. Until now, the process relied on natural gas, but the new system runs on electricity supplied through Switzerland's power network.

According to the company, the switch is expected to cut carbon emissions by around 4,500 tonnes per year. Novelis also expects the furnace to use about 25 per cent less energy than the gas-fired equipment it replaces.

The project grew out of the Net Zero Lab Valais initiative, which Novelis launched in 2022 with local energy company OIKEN, HES-SO Valais-Wallis and EPFL. The programme focuses on finding ways to reduce emissions from aluminium production.

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Alongside the new furnace, Novelis is studying ways to expand Sierre's district heating network. The company said waste heat generated at the plant could help meet between 20 and 30 per cent of the city's energy needs.

The idea builds on an earlier project that used heat from the plant's aluminium casting operations to supply a nearby building complex.

Novelis said it plans to continue introducing more electrification and low-carbon energy solutions at the Sierre site. The company is also assessing whether similar projects can be introduced at other facilities in its global manufacturing network.

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