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Aardal aluminium plant

Aluminium Smelter in Norway. Approximate location 61.31134, 7.82193.

Aluminium SmelterNorwayCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Aardal aluminium plant is an aluminium smelter in Norway. Its listed capacity is 204,000 t of alumina/aluminum. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment. It is operated by Norsk Hydro ASA. By capacity it ranks #2 among 4 aluminium smelters in Norway. It emits about 441,199 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 103k passenger cars.

204,000t of alumina/aluminum
441,199t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#8CO₂ rank in Norway
2.16t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673111.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityAardal aluminium plant Climate TRACE
CountryNorway Climate TRACE
Coordinates61.31134, 7.82193 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoraluminum Climate TRACE
Reported capacity204,000 t of alumina/aluminum Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorNorsk Hydro ASA Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e441,199 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Norway rank#8 of 46 · top 17.4% calculated
Global aluminum rank#161 of 257 · top 62.6% calculated
Climate contextderived from coordinates calculated

Not available

Fuel typeNot available not in dataset
Thermal capacity (MW)Not available not in dataset

Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.

Similar facilities by modelled emissions

Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.

Operating power plants within 50 km

PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.

In context: how this facility compares

At 204,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Aardal aluminium plant is around the median aluminium smelter in Norway (204,000 t of alumina/aluminum). Subsector: aluminum. As aluminium smelter, it requires high process heat (typically 600–900°C) for its core industrial operations — heat that must be supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion, and losses through uninsulated vessels and piping represent wasted fuel. Removable modular insulation can cut those losses by 80–96%, surface-cooling equipment to ≤45°C, with payback often under 2 years. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.

Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.

What 441,199 t CO₂e a year looks like

This facility's estimated annual CO₂e (Climate TRACE, modelled) in everyday equivalents from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator:

103kcars driven for a year
58khomes' annual energy use
7.4 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 441k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Aardal aluminium plant carries €35.1M/yr of carbon at the full EU ETS price (€79/t CO₂). Free allocation phases out to 2034 (Reg. (EU) 2023/956), so today's bill is lower and rising toward this full-price figure. The fastest decarbonization lever is energy efficiency: eliminating heat loss on hot equipment (removable insulation, steam & waste-heat recovery) typically cuts 2–5% of fuel-related CO₂ — here ≈9k t–22k t/yr, worth €701k€1.8M, with payback up to 2 years.

441k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€35.1M/yrcarbon value · full EU ETS price
9k t–22k t/yr ≈ €701k€1.8MDecarbonization potential

Carbon price: EU ETS €79/t · EU ETS €79/t, July 2, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: Climate TRACE. Efficiency range: US DOE / ASTM C680 (method). Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice. Estimate the saving for this site →

Capacity vs largest aluminium smelters in Norway

Karmoy aluminium plant: 270,000 t of alumina/aluminum270kKarmoy alu…Aardal aluminium plant: 204,000 t of alumina/aluminum204kAardal alu…Hoyanger aluminium plant: 65,000 t of alumina/aluminum65kHoyanger a…Lista aluminium plant: 64,000 t of alumina/aluminum64kLista alum…

Listed capacity (t of alumina/aluminum), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).

Operator

Operated by Norsk Hydro ASA. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Aardal aluminium plant sits in a Mediterranean subarctic climate zone (Köppen Dsc), at 61.3°N in the northern hemisphere.

~4°Ctypical annual mean
~14°Ctypical warm-season
Mediterranean subarctic: long cold winters and short, cool summers

Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

The local climate sets how fast unprotected steel, protective coatings and the insulation on hot process equipment degrade at this site. It sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
19/100environmental-severity index
17.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
169 kmdistance to coast
LowCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1514 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.17× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1438 W/m² of that. Reference-surface calculation at a 150 °C surface from WorldClim climate normals (ASTM C680 / ISO 12241) — an indicative per-climate comparison, not a measurement of this site’s specific equipment. Open method dataset: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20787408 (CC BY 4.0).

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby sites

The #2 largest of 4 aluminium smelters in Norway by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 61.31134, 7.82193. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a aluminium smelter, the main modular-insulation targets are alumina calciner, casthouse furnaces, hot ducting (electrolysis itself is electric). Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–1,000 °C.

electrolysis is mostly electricity (Scope 2) + anode process; on-site combustion small - insulation mainly relevant to alumina refining/casthouse.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 2,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 410 t CO₂e/year of avoided emissions. Screening estimate scaled from installed process-heat projects and surface-temperature reduction data.

See Inzonex Modular Insulation → Run the calculator →

Screening calculation from facility class, capacity and open emissions/energy context. Engineering survey required before procurement.

Safety & the no-regret first step

Start with a thermal survey of valves, flanges, doors and bends. Removable modular insulation keeps maintenance access open while lowering exposed-surface temperature and wasted heat.

External climate finance your country can access

For energy-efficiency projects around process heat, likely external funding channels include:

Sources: country climate-finance facilities and public development-bank programmes.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Aardal aluminium plant?

Aardal aluminium plant is a aluminium smelter in Norway. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.

What capacity is listed for Aardal aluminium plant?

The open dataset lists 204,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Aardal aluminium plant.

How much CO₂ does Aardal aluminium plant emit?

The page uses about 441,199 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #8 among facilities in Norway by estimated CO₂.

Where is Aardal aluminium plant located?

Aardal aluminium plant is in Norway at approximately 61.31134, 7.82193.

Who operates Aardal aluminium plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Norsk Hydro ASA.

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