RUSAL opened the first phase of the world’s most advanced low-carbon aluminum production plant, Taishet Aluminium Smelter (TaAZ), in Taishet, Siberia, further demonstrating RUSAL’s commitment to decarbonization of its operations and consumer product chains.
The state-of-the-art smelter is one of the greenest in the world, operating on clean energy from Siberian hydroelectric power plants, which together with modern gas cleaning equipment and a closed water circulation system, has a low level impact on the environment. Full-scope CO2 emissions will be one of the lowest in the industry. Pre-operation verifications and testing have begun.
TaAZ is the third low-carbon aluminum smelter to be built by RUSAL, with an overall cost of more than $1.69 billion, creating more than 1,000 local jobs. Once fully operational, the smelter is expected to produce 428,500 tons of low-carbon aluminum per year during its first phase and will play a critical role in the town’s overall social and economic development, with RUSAL fully committed to supporting local communities.
The project was funded with RUSAL’s own capital, along with a syndicated loan from VTB (30 billion rubles) and Gazprombank (15 billion rubles).
