Novelis lines up alternative energy in Alabama

Novelis Inc., a producer and recycler of aluminum based in Atlanta, has announced an agreement with energy provider Southern Co., also based in Atlanta, to install solar energy arrays to help power Novelis’ facility in Bay Minette, Alabama.

Providing solar power to the under construction Bay Minette plant, which will consume used beverage cans (UBCs) in its melt shop, will help Novelis meet a goal of being carbon neutral for scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the site.

In addition to meeting “the growing demand for more sustainable beverage packaging,” says Novelis, the facility will support aluminum’s use in the automotive industry in North America, “including the increase in electric vehicle (EV) production.”

Novelis says it will work with Southern Co. subsidiary Alabama Power in part by supporting the creation of two new 80-megawatt solar power generation plants in Alabama that Novelis says will cover more than half of the Bay Minette facility’s renewable energy needs while avoiding 192 kilotons of CO₂ emissions per year.

The two companies also will collaborate to explore the use of hydrogen fuels, carbon capture, energy storage and electrification of thermal processes, according to Novelis. The collaboration could lead to renewable energy deployments at other Novelis sites in North America, says the metals producer.

“Partnering with Southern Company and Alabama Power on renewable energy solutions, such as solar power, and exploring new technologies for carbon reduction will help us as we seek to meet our goals to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2026 and be carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner,” says Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, Novelis’ vice president of sustainability.

Remarks Chris Cummiskey, an executive vice president with Southern Co., “The future of clean energy depends on unlocking these types of partnerships. Whether it’s with new or existing companies, finding ways for Novelis and Southern Company to mutually identify and test innovative technologies will be key to advancing the availability of renewable power and reaching our respective decarbonization goals.”