Novelis a step closer to its 3x30 vision with the industrial scale use of hydrogen fuel at its Latchford facility

Novelis Inc., a global leader in sustainable aluminium solutions and the foremost company in aluminium rolling and recycling, has successfully tested hydrogen fuel to power a recycling furnace at its Latchford, Warrington plant in the UK.

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The tests involved installing new burners, regenerators, and furnace lining materials as part of a UK government decarbonisation initiative in collaboration with Progressive Energy, an independent UK energy company. Replacing natural gas with hydrogen in a melting furnace has the potential to cut CO₂e emissions by up to 90 per cent.

About the project

Prioritising safety, the hydrogen pilot project involved multiple test phases, blending hydrogen with natural gas in varying proportions (30 per cent to 100 per cent) to assess its impact on existing infrastructure and equipment compatibility. During the trials, several hundred tonnes of 3000-series scrap aluminium alloy were remelted and cast into sheet ingots. Comprehensive measurements were taken to evaluate the effects on the product, process, operating environment, and environmental emissions.

"Exploring renewable energy sources, such as hydrogen, making first-mover investments, and reducing energy intensity is part of our 3x30 vision to advance aluminium as the material of choice with circular solutions. With the significant expansion of our local recycling capacity, we are transforming the Latchford site into a prototype for high-recycled content and decarbonised aluminium production”, said Emilio Braghi, Executive Vice President of Novelis Inc. and President of Novelis Europe.

Further downstream processing, including rolling and finishing, will now be carried out at other Novelis plants in Europe to determine the full 'end-to-end' parameters of a hydrogen-powered, recycled alloy production process. Following a complete post-trial evaluation, a detailed report will be published later this year as part of the UK government's Industrial Fuel Switching programme.

The project aligns with HyNet initiative

The demonstration project at Novelis Latchford is part of the UK government's Industrial Fuel Switching Competition programme. Backed by a £4.6 million grant from the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, it aligns with the broader regional HyNet initiative. The programme aims to help industries decarbonise by transitioning from natural gas to low-carbon hydrogen.

As the UK's leading industrial decarbonisation cluster, HyNet is working to reduce emissions across the North West and North Wales by producing, transporting, and storing low-carbon hydrogen while capturing industrial CO₂ emissions through Carbon Capture Solutions. Novelis has been a partner in the HyNet project since 2017, actively contributing to the development of this regional infrastructure initiative.

Novelis is also conducting its own technical feasibility studies on using hydrogen as a direct replacement for natural gas. Additionally, its global research and development teams are exploring alternative energy solutions, including plasma and electricity, to power production facilities.

How the project will impact other sectors

In July 2024, Novelis announced a $90 million investment to expand used beverage can (UBC) recycling capacity at its Latchford plant. This expansion will boost the facility's UBC recycling capacity by 85 kilotonnes per year, reducing Novelis Europe's CO₂e emissions by over 350,000 tonnes annually. The project is set to begin commissioning in December 2026.

As part of its Novelis 3x30 vision, the company has set bold sustainability targets to achieve by 2030. These include increasing recycled content from 63 per cent to 75 per cent, reducing carbon emissions to below 3 tonnes CO₂e per tonne of aluminium shipped, and driving industry circularity through pioneering investments.

These goals complement Novelis' broader commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner. In addition to increasing recycled content, decarbonising melting processes and energy sources will play a crucial role in delivering low-carbon, highly sustainable aluminium solutions.