Russian aluminium titan UC Rusal announced this week the opening of the first phase of its new low-carbon aluminium smelter Taishet Aluminium Smelter (TaAZ) in Siberia.
In a press release Rusal touted the new TaAZ smelter as among the greenest aluminium smelters on Earth. The plant runs on hydroelectricity produced in Siberia, utilizes a gas cleaning system, and operates a closed water circulation system. Upon full production, Rusal expects the plant to have one of the lowest levels of CO2 emissions in the aluminium industry.
The TaAZ aluminium smelter is the result of a US$1.69 billion investment by Rusal and is expected to run at a rate of 428 thousand metric tons per annum through the first phase of production. The site will also add over one thousand jobs to the area.
Rusal’s chairman of the board Bernard Zonneveld elaborated on the importance of the event in a related press release.
“The opening of our new low-carbon aluminium smelter in Taishet is an important milestone in RUSAL’s journey to decarbonization as we look to supply the world with low-carbon aluminium. Our aluminium will have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry, helping to further strengthen our ties with customers who are leading the green revolution. Our smelter in Taishet will help to address the high global demand for low-carbon aluminium.”
“Throughout the construction of the Taishet Aluminium Smelter, the most modern and environmentally friendly technologies that exist in the global aluminium industry were used, with technological processes almost 100% automated,” noted Rusal’s General Director Evgenii Nikitin. “We plan to replicate this model by building new low-carbon aluminium production plants on the site of facilities in Bratsk, Shelekhov, Krasnoyarsk and Novokuznetsk, as part of our sustainable modernization, bringing us a step closer to our Net Zero target in 2050.”