ALRO, one of the largest vertically integrated aluminium producers in Europe, measured by production capacity, approved the start of three new investment projects, worth EUR 15 million, aimed at decarbonizing the technological process and increasing competitiveness, in parallel with alignment with the latest requirements and recommendations in the field of environmental protection.
“Over the last 20 years, we have implemented a complex investment program to transform ALRO into a producer of aluminium with high and very high added value, whose operations have a low impact on the environment”, declared Gheorghe Dobra, Chief Executive Officer at ALRO. “The projects we are starting now have the role of reducing carbon emissions by generating a quantity of renewable energy that is so necessary for the Company’s activity, but above all to considerably reduce the carbon footprint for our operations in the Cast House. The third objective will support our long-term strategy and constant efforts to diversify our customer and product portfolio in line with market demand”, added Gheorghe Dobra.
Following the approval of the revision of the ALRO’s 2023 Investment Program in the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, The Company approved the starting, this year, of an investment to Increase the energy efficiency of the electricity supply system by installing a photovoltaic power station in ALRO’s parking area, in line with the strategy of reducing carbon emissions related to its processes. After the implementation of the project, consisting in the installation of a photovoltaic station with a capacity of 1500 KW and two charging stations, ALRO will use the entire amount of electricity produced, which will contribute to the increase of the percentage of green energy used in our technological processes and reducing their carbon impact, therefore promoting the production of green aluminium.
Given ALRO’s commitment to prioritising the sustainability of its activities and reducing its environmental impact, one of the three projects included in the revised 2023 Investment Programme is Extending the fume treatment plant in the Cast House to the billet and slab casting machine, which will result in the controlled discharge and treatment of exhaust gases from all furnaces in the Cast House, in order to comply with the new targets for emissions from smelting, molten metal treatment and metal casting in the primary aluminium industry.
The Company has also started the contracting procedures for the equipment related to the project Development of ALRO’s product portfolio involving the purchasing and installing of machines for longitudinal cutting and milling of slabs, aimed at increasing the processing of primary products so as to obtain complex semi-finished high added value products, for sophisticated aerospace and automotive applications. This project will increase ALRO’s competitiveness on the profile markets by complying with customer requirements in terms of shape, dimensions, material composition, etc.
Over the last 20 years, ALRO Group has invested over USD 885 million, of which over USD 530 million in Slatina alone, in state-of-art technology, increasing operational efficiency and environmental protection. These investments have led to the diversification of the product portfolio, with a focus on aluminium with high and very high added value, which have allowed ALRO to enter sophisticated markets, such as the automotive and aerospace industry, but have also led to the reduction of the ecological footprint at the level of the entire Group. In addition, large investments have also brought product quality certifications, such as compliance with international quality management standards for the aerospace and defense industry, NADCAP certification or business sustainability certification, ASI Performance Standards.