En+, 57pc stakeholder in Rusal, urged the EU to drop tariffs on its green aluminum products in order to hasten the latter’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040.
The current EU import duty for primary aluminum and alloys is 3pc and 6pc, respectively.
In light of the EU’s €500bn a year investment to meet environmental goals, En+’s chairman Greg Barker said embracing green aluminum will speed up the energy transition.
Rusal claimed its patented ‘Allow’ aluminum products are low-carbon because they it uses hydropower in its smelters, unlike conventional coal furnaces. It has a carbon footprint of 4mt of CO2/mt of aluminum, which is significantly lower than its closest competitor, China.
Rusal supplied 1.3mn mt of the EU’s total aluminum imports of 6mn mt in 2019. En+ is trying to get duties removed from its green aluminum, in the process extoling its environmental benefits.