Emissions Reduction
Already Alcoa is regarded as a leader in the aluminium industry on addressing climate change. We set ourselves the challenge to reduce our direct global greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by 2010 from a 1990 base.
We achieved this in 2003, seven years ahead of schedule. It is now our challenge to maintain this as we grow our operations around the world.
We are reducing our greenhouse gas intensity through energy efficiency, productivity improvements and technological innovation.
In Australia, Alcoa has reduced the on-site greenhouse intensity of our smelting operations by 55 per cent and achieved a 6 per cent reduction at our alumina refineries compared with 1990 levels.
Since 1990 Alcoa’s Victorian operations have reduced direct emissions by almost 60 per cent, indirect emissions associated with electricity use by almost 3 per cent and total emission intensity by 20 per cent.
In more detail our operations in Victoria have achieved the following:
- Point Henry smelter in Geelong - 65 per cent reduction in on-site greenhouse gas intensity since 1990, while at the same time increasing production by nearly 5 per cent.
- Portland Aluminium smelter - 48 per cent reduction in on-site greenhouse gas intensity since 1990, while at the same time increasing production by nearly 11 per cent.
- Alcoa Australia Rolled Products greenhouse intensity has improved by 24 per cent since 1990 through energy savings and productivity Improvements.
In Western Australia, Alcoa and Alinta Limited are partnering to develop environmentally-friendly cogeneration power plants at Alcoa’s refineries. The plants produce both electricity and heat from the same fuel source, delivering greenhouse benefits.
Cogeneration plants at the Pinjarra and Wagerup refineries could save over 1.6 million tonnes of greenhouse emissions when compared to coal fired electricity generation. This is equivalent to taking 320,000 vehicles off the road in Australia.
A year’s electricity from each cogeneration unit will produce 430,000 tonnes less greenhouse gas emissions than a similar sized coal fired plant.
Looking specifically at the Pinjarra refinery, the combined effect of the Pinjarra efficiency upgrade and two cogeneration power stations at Pinjarra will improve the refinery’s greenhouse intensity by around 8.3 per cent. At the same time alumina production has increased by 17 per cent.
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Download information on emissions reduction at Portland Aluminium
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Download information on emissions reduction at Pt Henry smelter
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Download information on emissions reduction at Alcoa Australia Rolled Products
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Portland Aluminium environmental reports
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