Pure aluminum

United RUSAL and SUAL will help the UN improve the environment

The United Company "Russian Aluminum" decided to expand its activities in the field of ecology and take its initiatives on environmental issues beyond the company. Yesterday, she signed a memorandum of intent with the United Nations Development Program to implement joint actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Director of Russian Aluminum for Strategy and Corporate Development Artem Volynets, who spoke on behalf of the company at the document signing ceremony, promised that by 2015 the company will reduce the volume of direct emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by existing aluminum smelters by 50%. To achieve this goal, in 2007-2013, it plans to allocate more than $1.4 billion to modernize its facilities.

Programs for the transition to new environmental standards were initiated at the enterprises that became part of the united company this year (as a result of the merger of RUSAL and SUAL) back in 2000. The total volume of investments in the environment has already exceeded $1 billion. Gas treatment facilities have been replaced at some enterprises, most primary aluminum production capacities have been transferred from Soderberg technology to environmentally cleaner dry and baked anode technologies, and so on.

According to Mr. Volynets, by 2013 the united company will ensure its own production of more than 140 million kWh of electricity, which, in addition to guaranteed energy independence, will allow it to increase control over emissions not only in the process of producing aluminum itself, but also during electricity generation. In the long term, Russian Aluminum, like other major global aluminum companies, expects to cover 50-60% of its electricity needs through its own generation. Moreover, priority will be given to the development of hydropower projects - already now the company's enterprises are 80% supplied with just such energy. In addition, Russian Aluminum is now considering the prospects for the environmentally friendly and safe use of coal as a source of energy generation. Attention is also paid to nuclear electricity.

Mr. Volynets also stated that the company intends to seriously engage in the production of secondary aluminum and by 2013 to gain up to half of the Russian market for these products, where it is now practically absent. After all, processing aluminum requires ten times less energy consumption than producing primary metal.

Anna LANDER