- Europe imposes taxes on dangerous emissions
- Gulf conglomerate to produce “green aluminium”
- Buhumaid: Development of technology used in aluminum industries
- Al-Mudaifer: Arab countries constitute 10% of global aluminum production
Unusually, global environmental voices have risen in order to take crucial decisions that force industrialized countries around the world and all factories to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and fumes in the open air, in order to save the Earth from rising high temperatures that directly threaten humans and the environment.
In a growing ladder of demands, the European Union formed several decisions that it described as a deterrent to protect the world’s environment from these emissions, until the Union issued a decision to impose tax fees on the sales of factories that emit their emissions into the atmosphere, estimated at 100 euros (about 40 dinars) for every ton of carbon. .
Britain announced that it will implement a new mechanism for pricing carbon imports by 2027, whereby goods imported from countries with low or no carbon prices must pay a tax as part of decarbonization efforts.
Because the Arab countries in general and the Gulf countries in particular are among the distinguished global countries in aluminum production, amounting to up to 10% of global production, the deterrent decisions were like a sword hanging over the necks of their factories’ production, which made them develop special strategies to stop these emissions, which take many years to reach. To zero emissions neutrality.
Green environment
The green aluminum project is part of the new climate policy. High aluminum production causes 2% of carbon emissions per ton of aluminum, which is a large amount and is approximately one billion and 200 million tons annually in the world. Carbon production per ton of aluminum depends on the quality of energy, which varies between coal and coal. Gas and other matters that are linked to their role in carbon emissions.
Secretary General of the Gulf Aluminum Council, Mahmoud Al-Dailami, put the scalpel to the heart of the problem and explained: What is required globally is agreement on the quality of energy used to reach aluminum production per ton, with a limit of 5 tons of carbon or less, and there are different ways to achieve this despite the difficulty and costs, in addition to the importance Use of technology.
He pointed out that there is research being conducted in this regard by oil and aluminum companies in the Arabian Gulf region, including on absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and disposing of it on the ground, while the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council have shown interest in adopting nuclear energy, as is the case in the United Arab Emirates, while the Kingdom has adopted Bahrain Recycling used aluminum to reduce carbon and other emissions.
The necessity of accreditation
Al-Dulaimi explained in his intervention the reasons for and necessity of aluminum factories in the Gulf relying on what he called green aluminium, but environmental expert Karim Rashid explained to us the environmental dimension of this issue, starting with the following:
The environmental dimension has become one of the main requirements for global economic investment, and this is reflected in environmental legislation at the local level, where the environmental law is comprehensive and stringent to stop environmental degradation.
He continued: Bahrain is committed to international environmental agreements regarding side effects on economic and social life, and the pursuit of renewable energy is not free, and there is a need for infrastructure through the use of modern technologies to reach zero neutrality.
Regarding Bahrain’s initiative to reach zero carbon neutrality by the year 2060, Rashid said that the Kingdom’s accession comes in the context of shared responsibility with the international community, because climate change is today considered a global challenge that requires cooperation at the international level in order to achieve sustainable development through the expansion of circular economy development projects with Maintaining the Earth’s temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The industrial sector in Bahrain also constitutes one of the main pillars of the economy, and this was evident in the industrial strategy that was launched in harmony with Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030, which aims to reduce emissions by placing clean, green and sustainable growth as main pillars. .
He added: In this regard, the Kingdom will build a circular carbon economy supported by various neutralization plans that include, for example, carbon capture and afforestation technology. Among the interim goals is to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by the year 2035, by working on carbon removal initiatives and investing in initiatives to enhance energy efficiency. , doubling the national goal to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the total energy mix and increasing the number of mangrove trees to 4 times the current number, and doubling the number of trees in general with direct investment in carbon capture technologies.
He stressed that the Kingdom began to pay attention to clean energy projects with its accession as a permanent member of the International Renewable Energy Agency since its establishment in 2009, in addition to the establishment of the Sustainable Energy Unit in 2013, which contributed to increasing awareness of renewable energy sources that are characterized by being less expensive and more capable of dealing with energy. Climate changes and keeping pace with the global transformation of investment in alternative energy fields.
He noted that the existence of a Ministry for Sustainable Development in the Kingdom and a national strategy aims to raise the efficiency of using energy systems and save an estimated 230 million dinars by the year 2025, as the national plan for the use of renewable energies adopted many initiatives and set a national goal to rely on renewable energy at 5% of… Energy sources by 2025, and the percentage will rise to 10% by 2023.
Alba Company
Bahrain has the largest aluminum smelter in the world, which is located in the Aluminum Bahrain Company (Alba), and because Alba is concerned with decisions to stop emissions in Bahrain, the company sought to transition into the field of alternative energy.
Alba believes that aluminum production in the Middle East will play a pivotal role in keeping pace with the race towards decarbonisation, as local smelters produce the metal with a relatively low carbon footprint thanks to the availability of natural gas and the huge potential for access to more environmentally friendly “green” energy sources in the future.
With this mission in mind, major companies across the region must continue to take proactive measures to reduce emissions and ensure a sustainable way to transition to environmentally friendly technologies, as the region has an abundance of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy that can be utilized to supply The process of producing aluminum with the necessary energy in a more sustainable way.
This shift towards renewable energy sources would reduce carbon emissions associated with traditional fossil fuel-based power generation processes. By embracing energy transition and decarbonisation, these companies are positioning themselves at the forefront of sustainable aluminum production, and this may include investing in innovative technologies. Such as carbon capture and storage, and adopting more energy-efficient processes.
ALBA Initiatives
Bahrain Aluminum Company Alba announced the establishment of the fourth energy complex in the fifth power station, which is one of the most important initiatives aimed at preserving the environment, as it will add a production capacity of up to 680.9 megawatts, enhancing the total production capacity of the fifth power station from 1.8 gigawatts to more than 2.4 gigawatts. It will also contribute to Reducing the company’s greenhouse gas emissions by 0.5% with the completion of the project in the fourth quarter of this year 2024.
Along the way, Alba’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) map has supported the company to adopt many environmental initiatives that fall under the strategic plan, including the planned solar energy park, which will cover an area of 37,000 square meters with a production capacity of more than 6 megawatts annually, through the installation of 11,300 solar panels. On the company’s various buildings, including the smelting cell liner residue processing plant, the solar park is planned to generate 10,539 megawatt hours annually, reducing approximately 7,591,760 kilograms of carbon emissions over 25 years.
Among the environmental initiatives of Alba’s strategy is the planting of more than 12,000 trees in and around the roads leading to the Alba smelter since 2021, with a commitment to plant 6,000 seedlings annually, to remove carbon and double the number of trees in line with Bahrain’s goals of doubling the number of trees by 2035, in addition to establishing a fish farm nearby. From Alba’s telex factory and seaport in 2020, in response to the royal directives to establish strategic projects aimed at enhancing food security and enriching marine life, and operating 3 charging stations powered by solar energy to supply electric vehicles, as the stations will contribute to reducing approximately 110,000 kilowatts. hour per year, equivalent to reducing about 42 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Alba became the first company in the Middle East to obtain the accreditation certificate for the second and updated version of the “Chain of Custody” standard from the Aluminum Sustainability Initiative. This accreditation included the smelter site, along with the telex plant and the sea port. Alba has also obtained the performance standard certificate for the Aluminum Sustainability Initiative since 2020.
Gulf Challenge
What we reviewed previously was purely local, but the issue in the Gulf is viewed as a problem that affects the reality of aluminum manufacturing in the Arabian Gulf as a whole, and thus it is recognized
Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Mining Affairs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Khaled Al-Mudaifer, said that the Arab countries constitute 10% of global aluminum production, and this percentage is large if China is excluded. Global aluminum production will be doubled in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in light of the rising growth in aluminum production, and with Saudi Arabia has future plans to support the aviation aluminum industry.
He stated that Saudi Arabia is working to redouble its efforts to reach zero neutrality and reduce carbon emissions from aluminum industries by supporting factories with renewable energy through solar energy to produce steam to produce aluminium, in addition to charging hydrogen and supporting green aluminum technology and aluminum production through green and clean energy.
Gulf Union
Decision makers at the level of aluminum production in the Arabian Gulf sensed the importance and necessity of quickly striving towards zero neutrality, and therefore they held several Gulf conferences and seminars in order to follow up on implementing strategic plans in order to reach zero neutrality in every way possible.
From this standpoint, the official spokesman for Emirates Global Aluminium, Khaled Buhumaid, began his conversation with us by saying: There is a new Gulf trend regarding interest in the environment, sustainability, and clean energy to reduce carbon emissions in light of the development of smelting operations with the technology used in the aluminum industries.
Commitment to standards
As for the Bahraini economist, Ammar Awaji, he stressed the necessity of continuing to work towards achieving carbon neutrality, which will have positive repercussions by adopting modern technology that limits carbon emission in industrial fields, in addition to contributing to reducing the use of waste resources in industries, stressing at the same time that Bahraini companies Gulf has begun working to reduce emissions and aluminum slag so that it adheres to environmental preservation standards by working to achieve zero carbon emissions to achieve sustainable development goals and confront climate change.
Environmental recommendations
Recently, he held a conference to discuss zero neutrality and stopping carbon emissions in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, bringing together aluminum producers in the Gulf. After discussions at the Arab International Aluminum Conference (ARABAL), the conference participants called for the necessity of activating clean energy methods through initiatives and partnerships in aluminum production factories in cooperation with governments, and promoting The idea of using green aluminum, activating clean energy through sustainable initiatives, activating a charter to protect the environment from carbon emissions and throwing away products that contain materials made from aluminum, protecting the environment through recycling aluminum cells and using artificial intelligence in the aluminum industry, and responsible tracking in torticollis and the aluminum industry. With the aim of reducing any impacts on the environment, in addition to the international transition to renewable energy in the field of aluminum, making optimal use of solar and wind energy in the field of clean energy, switching to green aluminum and removing carbon from the aluminum industry.
Zero neutrality
In Bahraini, Manama announced its goal to reach zero carbon neutrality by the year 2060. To this end, the Kingdom has adopted a set of initiatives to remove carbon, including doubling afforestation in several regions, protecting the environment, confronting the challenges of climate change, raising the quality of life, and protecting future generations from carbon emissions and aluminum slag. .
As for the Arab International Aluminum Conference, which was held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in the last week of November of last year 2023, with the participation of 500 industry specialists, it discussed the importance of reducing and decreasing carbon emissions from aluminum factories and smelters, the international transformation of renewable energy in the fields of aluminum, and working to activate neutrality. Zero with the development of renewable energy for factories and aluminum production companies and benefiting from solar and wind energy in the field of clean energy and the transition to green aluminum in the countries of the region.
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