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Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, has purchased clean energy certificates for 1.1 million megawatts (MW) hours of electricity supplied by Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC).
The move supports its production of CelestiAL solar aluminium, the company said in a statement.
The certificates track the use of solar power from the 1.2 gigawatt Noor Abu Dhabi, one of the world’s largest single-site solar power plants in Sweihan.
The transaction is the largest acquisition to date of clean energy certificates that track the use of solar power in Abu Dhabi. It will certify EGA’s production of around 80,000 tonnes of CelestiAL.
The generation of the electricity required for aluminium production accounts for approximately 60 percent of the global aluminium industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, the statement said.
The use of solar power by EGA significantly reduces these emissions in line with the UAE’s net zero by 2050 strategic initiative.
Clean energy certificates are issued by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy and conform to international renewable energy certificate standards and best practices.
Earlier in 2022, EGA announced a strategic initiative with TAQA, Dubal Holding and EWEC to divest its natural gas-fired power assets and source all its electricity from the grid, including an increasing proportion of clean energy.
EGA became the first company in the world to produce aluminium using solar power in 2021 through an agreement with Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA).
The company produced almost 39,000 tonnes of CelestiAL last year, the statement said.
(Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon)