Net Zero Lab Valais aids Novelis’ decarbonization efforts in Switzerland

Atlanta-based aluminum recycler and producer Novelis Inc. and its partners at the research and development laboratory Net Zero Lab Valais have operated for a year, launching key energy projects aimed at enabling Scopes 1 and 2 carbon neutral production at Novelis’ Sierre plant in Switzerland.

In that time, Novelis has approved an investment in a new electrical pusher furnace, which will allow the plant to preheat sheet ingots with renewable electricity instead of natural gas, saving around 4,500 tons of CO2 equivalent per year and up to 180,000 tons of CO2 equivalent over the furnace's lifetime, the company says.

In addition, the lab partners completed a project to transfer waste heat from the casting process in Novelis' plant to the Technopôle, a nearby building complex. The roughly 200 kilowatts of energy cover about one-third of Technopôle's total energy demand. Novelis says it and OIKEN, a local energy provider and lab partner, intend to expand this energy ecosystem with the goal to supply a substantial part of the Sierre region's energy demand before 2030.

Image courtesy of Novelis

"This lighthouse project brings to life our holistic decarbonization approach toward a net-zero production," says Emilio Braghi, executive vice president of Novelis Inc. and president of Novelis Europe. "Additionally, it makes us very proud to see that beyond this important mission, we are also adding value to our surrounding communities and further expanding our position as a sustainability frontrunner and attractive employer."

Modeling an optimized system for the plant's energy sourcing, conversion and reuse is the goal of an ongoing study that began with the launch of Net Zero Lab Valais in 2022. The focus is to replace fossil-based energy sources with carbon-neutral ones rather than offsetting carbon emissions through credits, Novelis says, adding that the first models and results will be released in May.

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"Three decarbonization projects by the Net Zero Lab Valais were rewarded with funds by the Swiss government, which allowed us to expand the size of the team," says Serge Gaudin, plant manager, Novelis Sierre, and director of automotive operations at Novelis Europe. "It's amazing to see the extraordinary results of this interdisciplinary, talented team and to know that this is just the beginning of our journey."

The ultimate goal of research and projects coming out of the Net Zero Lab Valais is to find ways Novelis can reach carbon neutrality for Scopes 1 and 2 emissions at the Sierre plant by 2030 and extend them to its other plants around the world. The company has targets to reduce its carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2026 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner. Beyond its focus on energy efficiency initiatives and recycling, Novelis says it will continue to seek opportunities to decarbonize its operations by converting to renewable energy sources.

The company's projects in the U.S. that involve recycling include a strategic partnership with Sortera Alloys Inc. Novelis says it will use Sortera's advanced sorting technologies, including data analytics and advanced sensors, to recycle and reuse more automotive postproduction and postconsumer scrap.

Additionally, Novelis is building a low-carbon recycling and rolling plantin Bay Minette, Alabama, that is expected to create up to 1,000 new jobs and add 600,000 tons of finished aluminum goods capacity per year for the beverage container market, with the flexibility for automotive production, the company says. It also will add a new recycling center for used beverage cans (UBCs), increasing Novelis’ recycling capacity from 74 billion UBCs to 90 million annually.  

The company also is building a recycling center next to its automotive finishing plant in Guthrie, Kentucky. With annual casting capacity of 240,000 tons of sheet ingot, the company says it expects the facility to reduce its carbon emissions by more than 1 million tons annually while also allowing it to grow its closed-loop-recycling programs with North American automotive customers.