Hydro plans to invest NOK 200 million (US$17.6 million) to install a new sow casting line at Husnes aluminum smelter. This investment will expand the casthouse’s product offering, thus increasing flexibility.
“We continue to invest in the future of our Norwegian smelters, which are at the core of Hydro’s strategy to pioneer the green aluminum transition,” said Hanne Karine Simensen, executive vice president of Hydro Aluminium Metal. “Adding sow ingots to the product portfolio at Husnes will make us better positioned to take advantage of market fluctuations.”
The Husnes primary plant is one of Hydro’s five fully owned primary aluminum plants on the west coast of Norway. The plant has an annual capacity of 197,000 tonnes of primary aluminum in the form of low-carbon extrusion ingot and HyForge forge stock, mainly to customers within the construction and automotive sectors in Europe.
Lower economic activity in Europe over the past couple of years has led to production curtailments at Husnes. Earlier in 2024, Hydro made the strategic decision to use this opportunity of lower activity to complete a full technology upgrade of the plant’s two potlines, effectively making the Husnes plant one of the world’s most modern and energy efficient production sites for primary aluminum.
“Demand for low-carbon aluminum is expected to increase in line with growing consumer awareness and regulatory requirements for materials with the lowest possible carbon footprint,” said Simensen. “Both Husnes and our other four primary aluminum plants in Norway stand ready to support some of the most forward leaning customers in Europe in reaching their climate goals.”
The installation of the new sow casting line at Husness will provide the flexibility to produce sow ingots in periods of lower demand for the plant’s main products. The highly automated sow caster will have a capacity of 100,000 tonnes per year.
Sow ingots serve as raw material for producing other casthouse products, including extrusion and sheet ingot. Sows are made by pouring liquid aluminum into molds in highly automated casting lines to ensure consistent quality and typically weigh around 1,543 pounds each.
Construction is expected to start in 2025, pending final build decision, with completion scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.