EGA acquires Clean Energy Certificates from Ewec

Emirates Global Aluminium has purchased Clean Energy Certificates (CECs) for 1.1m MWh of electricity supplied by Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec), supporting EGA’s production of Celestial solar aluminium. 

The certificates track the use of solar power from Noor Abu Dhabi, one of the world’s largest single-site solar power plants. Noor Abu Dhabi is located at Sweihan, and has 3.2m solar panels generating around 1 GWh of electricity.

CEC's largest acquisition to date

The transaction is the largest acquisition to date of CECs that track the use of solar power in Abu Dhabi, and will certify EGA’s production of around 80,000 t of Celestial. The volume of Celestial EGA produces each year depends on solar power imports from the electricity grid. 

UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative

The generation of the electricity required for aluminium production accounts for around 60 % of the global aluminium industry’s climate gas emissions. The use of solar power by EGA significantly reduces these emissions in line with the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.

Clean Energy Certificates are issued by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy and conform to International Renewable Energy Certificate standards and best practices. Ewec is one of the key parties enabling the implementation of the scheme and operates auctions selling certificates for both solar and nuclear generated electricity in Abu Dhabi. CECs are the only accredited method in Abu Dhabi to prove ownership of the environmental and economic benefits achieved by using renewable and clean energy.

Production of Celestial to be increased 

EGA currently exchanges limited amounts of power with the grid, to optimize power generation efficiency. Earlier in 2022, EGA announced a strategic initiative with Taqa, Dubal Holding and Ewec to divest its natural gas-fired power assets and instead source all its electricity from the grid, including an increasing proportion of clean energy. The initiative would unlock significant further development of solar power within Ewec’s fleet, allowing power asset and grid optimisations, and enabling EGA to vastly increase its import of solar power and therefore production of Celestial.  

EGA became the first company in the world to produce aluminium using solar power in 2021. EGA produced almost 39,000 t of Celestial last year. EGA’s customers for the metal include BMW Group and Hammerer Aluminium Industries, a tier 1 supplier of Mercedes-Benz.