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Harnessing the Power of the Desert Sun, EGA
Harnessing the power of the desert sun to produce the metal of the future
By: Emirates Global Aluminium
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Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest industrial company in the UAE outside oil and gas, and the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) in January made the United Arab Emirates the first country in the world to harness the power of the sun to make aluminium.
The milestone supports the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the most sustainable city in the world, and to take the lead in the development and application of scientific and technological advances in the energy sector. Aluminium plays an important role in the development of a sustainable future, as part of everything, from light-weighting vehicles to make them more fuel efficient, to building wind farms and mass transit systems. However, producing aluminium is energy-intensive, with electricity generation accounting for around 60% of the global aluminium industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. The use of solar power significantly reduces the emissions associated with aluminium production.
Since January, DEWA has been supplying EGA’s Jebel Ali smelter in Dubai with 560,000 megawatt hours of solar power on an annualised basis, with the potential for significant expansion. The solar power is generated at DEWA’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, on the outskirts of Dubai. EGA’s sourcing of solar power from Dubai’s electricity grid is tracked and traced through the use of the International Renewable Energy Certification (IREC)system.
EGA is marketing solar aluminium under the new product name CelestiAL. The first customer, announced in early February, was BMW Group. EGA has supplied metal to BMW Group since 2013 for use in the German carmaker’s engines and other parts. EGA will now supply 43,000 tonnes of CelestiAL aluminium to BMW Group per year.
Using solar aluminium from EGA will reduce BMW Group’s emissions by 222,000 tonnes of CO 2 per year. BMW Group’s annual supply contract with EGA is worth three-digit million-euro. EGA’s CelestiAL metal will cover almost half the annual requirements of Plant Landshut, the BMW Group’s only production facility for light metal casting in Europe. Last year, Plant Landshut produced 2.9 million cast metal components, including engine parts, such as cylinder heads and crankcases, parts for electric drive trains, and vehicle body parts.
His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of DEWA, and Vice Chairman of EGA, said: “This global achievement of both DEWA and EGA confirms our firm commitment to achieving the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in building a green economy in UAE, and reaching the goals of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 in diversifying energy sources and providing 75% of Dubai’s energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. To achieve these goals, we have launched many initiatives and projects, most notably the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar energy project in the world with a capacity of 5,000 megawatts by 2030. The solar park projects use photovoltaic panels and concentrated solar energy technologies.”
HE Al Tayer added, “The new achievement contributes to supporting our efforts in reducing carbon emissions through the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy. Dubai reduced 22% in carbon emissions in 2019 compared to business as usual. Results achieved exceeded the targets set in the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021”. Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: “Aluminium is lightweight, strong and infinitely recyclable and these properties mean that as a material it plays a vital global role in the development of a sustainable future. However, it also matters how sustainably aluminium is made. CelestiAL, aluminium made in the UAE with solar power, will help make modern life possible for people around the world whilst protecting our planet for future generations. This is a great milestone for the UAE and our industry.”
The availability of solar power on the scale needed for aluminium smelting is thanks to the UAE’s significant investment in solar power, including in Dubai by DEWA and its Independent Power Producer (IPP) partners.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, located in Dubai, has a current installed capacity of some 1,013 Megawatts using photovoltaic solar panels. DEWA is implementing an additional 1,850 megawatts of projects using solar panels and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). Eventually, this capacity will reach 5,000MW by 2030. Dr Andreas Wendt, BMW AG Board Member for Purchasing and Supplier Network, said: “In EGA, we have found a strong partner who values sustainable development just as much as we do. It is a special honour for us to be the first customer to receive aluminium produced using solar electricity. Aluminium plays an important role in e-mobility and using sustainably produced aluminium is tremendously important to our company.”
