Germany's BMW Group said on Tuesday that it will source aluminium produced using solar electricity from the UAE-based Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) as part of its plans to reduce CO2 emission by 20 percent within its supplier network by 2030.

The automobile manufacturer said in a statement that sourcing 43,000 tonnes of solar aluminium valued in the three-digit million euros will supply nearly half the annual requirements of the light metal foundry at Plant Landshut.

Andreas Wendt, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Purchasing and Supplier Network said: "We will be able to meet over 50 percent of our CO2 targets for the supplier network, just by using green power. The use of solar electricity for producing aluminium is a major step in this direction."

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: the BMW Group would the company's first customer for its low-carbon CelestiAL aluminium.

The statement said solar aluminium would be processed in the light metal foundry at BMW Group Plant Landshut to manufacture body and drive train components, including those needed for electric drive trains.

'As e-mobility takes off, aluminium will become increasingly important as a lightweight material that can partially offset the heavy weight of the batteries in electrified vehicles,' the statement noted.

The BMW Group aims to have more than seven million electrified vehicles - two thirds of them fully-electric - on the roads by 2030.

(Writing by Syed Ameen Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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