HYDRO’S MILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN ITS ALUMINUM PLANT IN ARDAL

The multinational Hydro continues to pursue an ambitious investment policy. It recently announced an investment of close to 4.5 million euros to upgrade Hydro Årdal’s shipyard in Norway. This financial injection will improve safety, reduce energy consumption and CO2 footprint, and contribute to increased production.

Part of this investment will also be used for a new preheating chamber, which will be installed during the year. It will be used to preheat cold metal and post-consumer aluminum before adding it to the smelting process. Currently, melting furnaces are used for preheating, but a dedicated preheating chamber will make the melting process more efficient and safe and will use the excess heat from the melting furnace as an energy source.

“This project means greater cost-effectiveness, sustainability and safety. Hydro has the ambition to double the use of post-consumer aluminum. This investment will contribute to this, while reducing the plant’s CO2 footprint through the smart use of surplus energy. This strengthens Hydro Årdal’s profitability and competitiveness. A preheating chamber will also make the addition of post-consumer aluminum to the smelting furnace safer, as preheating eliminates the risk of moisture in the metal,” says Ola Sæter, Hydro’s director of primary production.

The smelting furnace emits excess heat during operation. It can be used as a power source for the new preheating chamber. The result is a reduced CO2 footprint and the increased efficiency achieved with the preheating chamber will enable Hydro Årdal to increase production by about 5,000 tons per year.

“This is very positive for Hydro Årdal. We see that the projects we carry out are profitable and sustainable, and that strengthens the plant for the future,” adds Wenche Eldegard, plant manager at Hydro Årdal. This investment is in addition to the recently announced investment of NOK 60 million to upgrade Hydro Årdal’s electrolysis cells.