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Novelis received the final approval by local authorities to start the construction of its first onsite solar park at the production site in Pieve, Italy. The solar park will reduce carbon emissions by 1,450 tons annually, covering around 12% of the plant’s electricity demand and allowing Novelis to switch a large portion of its energy sources from carbon-intensive to renewable ones.

Novelis has targets to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2026, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner. With this project, the company is investing $2.4 million in decarbonizing its production in Pieve, further supporting the development of low-carbon, sustainable aluminium solutions for the European market.  

“The construction of this solar park marks an important milestone in our own sustainability journey while enabling us to contribute to Italy’s and Europe’s decarbonization and energy independence goals."

Emilio Braghi, Executive Vice President, Novelis Inc., and President, Novelis Europe. 

“I am very proud that our team is part of a company that is leading the way in decarbonizing the aluminium industry while adding value to surrounding communities."

Laura Basile, Plant Manager, Novelis Pieve and Novelis Bresso
Learn more about the solar park and its contribution to Novelis’ ambitious sustainability journey in the published press release

Water used during the casting process at the Novelis Sierre plant is deployed to heat up a neighbouring building.

The Net Zero Lab Valais is modelling energy systems to evaluate the replacement of natural gas with renewable energy sources to increase energy efficiency and to decrease waste. With this goal, one of the first completed projects is a transfer of waste heat from the casting process at the Novelis Sierre plant to the Technopôle – a nearby building complex. The energy supply corresponding to a power of around 200 kilowatt-hours covers about one third of the energy demand of the Technopôle, which hosts research-based companies and consulting firms as well as university offices.

Creating synergies by capturing energy in use

Casting aluminium ingots requires cooling water during the process. As the liquid aluminium origins at the melting oven with around 750 degrees Celsius, water is used to cool down the liquid aluminium to its required shape. During this process, the water heats up. The energy of this heated water is then exchanged and sent into warm water pipes to the Technopôle.

“This project demonstrates the powerful synergies we are able to generate with the Net Zero Lab Valais right next to our plant”, says Réginald Germanier, Energy Leader at Novelis Sierre, and Net Zero Lab Valais leader at Novelis. “Within the framework of the lab, we aim to further identify projects where we can save waste energy and increase energy efficiency.”

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Longstanding collaboration helps to further decarbonize the region.

Novelis is constantly seeking opportunities to decarbonize its own operations by switching to renewable energy sources but also to support the decarbonization of the surrounding communities and partners. In Sierre, the sun shines for roughly 1,990 hours a year, offering a great opportunity for solar power. This translates into a photovoltaic power output of 3,940 kilowatt-hours per day*. Together with Net Zero Lab Valais’ partner OIKEN, Novelis contributes to making this precious energy available for the surrounding communities.

Sustainability frontrunners join forces for regional energy supply

The longstanding partnership of Novelis and OIKEN has its foundation long before the launch of the Net Zero Lab in 2022 and demonstrates the potential to foster a carbon neutral future within the region. Currently, around 5,000 square meters of installed solar panels, with a capacity of 1 gigawatt-hour per year, cover the main building roof at the Novelis plant in Sierre, rented by local energy distributer OIKEN. This fruitful collaboration supports the supply of green electricity to Sierre. By joining forces in the Net Zero Lab Valais, both parties intend to further expand their efforts to increase the usage of solar power – for the plant as well as for the entire region.

* according to the Global Solar Atlas by World Bank Group

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Novelis will be replacing a gas pusher furnace with an electrical one, saving around 4,500t CO2eq per year.

Novelis Sierre aims to reach carbon neutrality for scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. To achieve this ambitious goal, Novelis is increasing decarbonization investments and its efforts in joint initiatives such as the Net Zero Lab Valais. Driving carbon neutral production, the Net Zero Lab team is testing alternative energy sources to replace gas, such as plasma or hydrogen. For decarbonizing energy consumption, the lab´s aim is to replace fossil-based energy sources with carbon-neutral ones rather than offsetting carbon emissions through credits.

Streamlined processes for more productivity and fewer emissions

In the first year of Novelis Sierre’s decarbonization journey with the Net Zero Lab Valais, Novelis has approved an investment in a new electrical pusher furnace which will allow the plant to pre-heat sheet ingots with renewable electricity instead of natural gas, saving around 4,500t CO2eq per year and up to 180,000t CO2eq over the furnace’s lifetime. Moreover, the new furnace will offer an optimization of workflows.

“Electrifying one of our pusher furnaces is a crucial step to decarbonize our Novelis Sierre production”, states Serge Gaudin, Plant Manager, Novelis Sierre, and Director Automotive Operations, Novelis Europe. “The new electric pusher furnace brings flexibility with regard to renewable energy sources and will initially be fed by hydro power. This is crucial in today’s energy management and also contributes to our aim of generating a future-proof energy portfolio for our company.”

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Dev Ahuja, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, has been named to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) board of directors. Dev will join the NAM board to advance a manufacturing policy agenda that promotes growth and prosperity for all Americans. (more…)