Aluminium, a critical material and a common thread for decarbonizing North America
In the current perspective of the electrification of Western economies, such as North America, aluminium is called to play a major role. The decarbonization of economies will proceed from electrification based on renewable energy. According to the World Bank, aluminium is the only “cross-cutting, high-impact metal” used in energy production, transmission, and consumption.
Driven by electrification based decarbonization efforts and by the green subsidies’ programs of their respective governments, the volume of aluminium consumption in the US and EU is set to increase significantly in our allied economies, opening up market opportunities through market growth. The electrification of vehicles represents an excellent opportunity for the sector given that aluminium is the second most important metal for the composition of batteries implying a 25% growth in aluminium content in cars by 2030. This growth will also be coupled with that of the electrification sector since in addition to providing 100% of component requirement for transmission lines aluminium represents more than 85% of minerals needed for solar panels design.
The Aluminium Association of Canada has launched a communications campaign called “Décarboner l’Amérique du Nord, ç’a ben de l’alu” to highlight the importance of Quebec’s aluminium industry and its support for the province’s and North America’s efforts to achieve decarbonization and energy transition objectives.