First, it has accelerated the adjustment of industrial structure and further promoted the optimal layout of electrolytic aluminum energy use in China. In 2017, China established a production capacity ceiling of 45.43 million tons, and basically eliminated electrolytic aluminum smelting capacity with high energy consumption, large waste emissions and high comprehensive production costs through the implementation of the capacity replacement policy. Electrolytic aluminum enterprises to speed up hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic and other clean energy rich Yunnan, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia and other regions transfer and gather, effectively reduce coal and other traditional energy consumption, reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
The second is to speed up the green development of the industry, and further increase the use of clean energy such as wind power and photovoltaic. Electrolytic aluminum industry in the past, the "coal - electricity - aluminum" joint mode is obviously not conducive to the realization of the "double carbon" goal, and the construction of the industry's own power plants has basically stopped, including wind power, photovoltaic and other network electricity protection ratio has increased significantly, creating conditions for the further use of clean energy. By the end of 2023, the proportion of clean energy for electrolytic aluminum in China has increased to 24.4%, an increase of 13 percentage points over 2015, and the output of green electric aluminum has reached 10.15 million tons, which has basically completed the national target of 25% of clean energy for electrolytic aluminum in 2025, and the target of more than 30% in 2030 is expected to be realized in advance.
The third is to accelerate the expanded use of recycled aluminum and further improve the level of sustainable development. Aluminum has good recycling performance and the development of circular economy is an important symbol of sustainable development of the industry. In 2023, China's recycled aluminum production has reached 9.5 million tons, almost double the 5.2 million tons in 2013, and the carbon emission intensity is greatly reduced, and it is expected that the production of recycled aluminum will increase year by year in the next few years.
Fourth, it has accelerated the development of new aluminum-based materials and further helped the rapid development of the "new three" industries. Since 2023, the "new three" industries represented by new energy vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaics have developed strongly, becoming a new bright spot in China's foreign trade and economic growth, and also a "vanguard" in promoting China's green and low-carbon reform. In order to meet the "new three" needs, aluminum processing enterprises continue to innovate independently, and a number of leaders have emerged in the market segment: such as aluminum high-end, Weiqiao, Nanshan, Asia-Pacific, Haomei, Samsung, etc., in the field of automotive lightweight aluminum; In the field of battery foil, Dingsheng, North China Aluminum, Zhongji, Shenhuo, etc.; Photovoltaic profiles in the field of Yongzhen, etc. The aluminum industry provides a solid material guarantee for the rapid development of the "new three" industries, and makes an important contribution to promoting China's green and low-carbon transformation.
Fifth, the pace of low-carbon aluminum exports has been accelerated to further enhance international competitiveness. The export volume of aluminum products in China is large, and the total export of aluminum and aluminum products in 2023 is 8.09 million tons, which is at a historical high. With the continuous improvement of the proportion of green aluminum and recycled aluminum in China, it has greatly reduced the carbon emissions of aluminum and aluminum products, and increased the demand for low-carbon aluminum by global high-end users such as Apple, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Tetra Pak, and Coca-Cola in China, which has improved the added value of products and export benefits, and greatly improved the international competitiveness, effectively boosting the high-level export of aluminum and aluminum products in China.
Sixth, it has accelerated the construction of a green and low-carbon system and further improved the service quality and efficiency of the association. Green and low-carbon development has become the consensus of the industry, China Non-ferrous Metals Industry Association has taken the initiative to actively build a green and low-carbon system, and has done a lot of effective work: formulate and release the "low-carbon Technology Development Roadmap for Non-ferrous Metals Industry"; To carry out the collection of low-carbon energy-saving renovation projects and the promotion of low-carbon technologies, and compile the Guide for Energy Saving Diagnostic Services in the non-ferrous Metal Industry; Established the Green Product Evaluation Center, issued the "Green electric Aluminum Evaluation and Trading Guidelines", and carried out the first batch of green electric aluminum product evaluation in the country; Actively promote the construction of a national carbon market, carry out research on the verification and accounting of carbon emissions of electrolytic aluminum and the allocation of quota schemes, and accelerate the work of low-carbon standardization in the industry.
Although the green and high-quality development of China's aluminum industry has made great achievements, at present and in the next period, we need to speed up to overcome the problems restricting low-carbon green development: First, from the perspective of resource endowment and power generation, the current electricity structure in China is still dominated by thermal power, thermal power installed capacity still accounts for about half of the total installed power; Second, at present, wind power, photovoltaic, etc. are intermittent power supplies, hydropower is also uncertain, power generation fluctuates greatly, and the proportion of clean energy consumption in the grid needs to be improved; Third, the domestic carbon emission standard system needs to be established and improved. In the face of new problems and new situations of green development, the current aluminum industry should focus on the following four aspects:
First, we will continue to optimize the energy use structure. It is necessary to fully consider the ecological carrying capacity of clean energy rich areas and encourage electrolytic aluminum enterprises to continue to optimize the production capacity layout; Encourage and support enterprises to develop and build clean energy based microgrids, actively absorb wind power and photovoltaic clean energy, and reduce carbon emissions at the source; Encourage and guide enterprises to actively consume clean energy through green power trading, purchase green power certificates and other ways, and constantly increase the proportion of clean energy use of electrolytic aluminum.
Second, vigorously build the green model of aluminum industry chain. It is necessary to accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of the whole life cycle of products, promote the integrated development of primary aluminum, recycled aluminum and aluminum processing, improve the level of closed-loop recycling and grade-protection recycling of recycled aluminum, and gradually expand the amount of recycled aluminum; Encourage the direct export of aluminum and aluminum products produced with green electric aluminum and recycled aluminum and the indirect export of the "new three types", and create a new image of China's aluminum industry that is greener and more low-carbon with world-class energy conservation and emission reduction and comprehensive utilization of resources.
Third, focus on strengthening technological innovation and technological research. It is necessary to take enterprises as the main body, through the industry-university-research alliance, carry out process innovation and technological research around the key common problems and subversive technologies to achieve the goal of "double carbon", and strive to break through carbon capture and utilization technology, new anode technology for electrolytic aluminum and graphitized cathode applications, etc., to support the industry's "double carbon" action.
Fourth, the realization of market-oriented standardized electrolytic aluminum carbon trading. Electrolytic aluminum will soon be included in the national carbon emission rights trading unified large market, "Carbon emissions Accounting and reporting Guidelines" and "Carbon Emissions Verification Technical Guidelines" have also begun to solicit views from all parties. It is necessary to actively innovate the development model, make full use of the carbon trading mechanism, stimulate the vitality of the carbon trading market, learn from the successful experience of foreign countries, encourage enterprises to play an active role in the establishment of negative carbon industrial agglomeration areas, and accelerate the low-carbon transformation of the industry through market-oriented and standardized electrolytic aluminum carbon trading.
