China Hongqiao today began producing green aluminum at its new facility in Yunnan province.
According to media reports, the new plant will use hydropower instead of conventional fossil fuels, the first facility in the country to do so. A company spokesperson said this step was taken to conform to Chinese environmental norms, and that the firm will gradually move production to this plant from its coal-powered factory in Shandong. Moreover, the move is in line with the global aluminum industry’s shift toward greener production, with Rusal and Rio Tinto leading the charge.
In phase one of the project, the facility is slated to produce 1mn mt of aluminum metal per year. In the second phase, which will be initiated before 2025, it will produce 2.03mn mt of aluminum.