Alcoa accelerating clean energy transition at Brazil bauxite mine

The Brazilian unit of US aluminum giant Alcoa is accelerating the clean energy transition at its Juruti bauxite mine in Pará state.

The company is planning to start soon a project to convert fossil fuel-fired generation to grid-connected power supply. The project is expected to be completed in 2026 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 35%, in addition to reducing future plant energy costs by approximately 40%.

"The future of aluminum involves investing in renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectric power, in addition to optimizing bauxite extraction and the entire production process," Alcoa Brasil president said Otávio Carvalheira said in a statement.

Currently, the power supply to the port and Alcoa's washing plant in Juruti operate with diesel-run generators. The facilities are not connected to the grid.

Alcoa said it signed a contract, with an unnamed party, for the construction of a 51km transmission line and substation. Once completed, the project will replace the power supply of operations with electricity generated from hydroelectric sources, with capacity of 10MW.

Alcoa intends to reduce scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030, and the company aims to reach net zero emissions in its global operations by 2050.

Founded in 2006, with operations starting in 2009, the Juruti mine has potential bauxite reserves of 700Mt. Its current operational capacity is 7.5Mt/y, according to the firm.