ANNOUNCEMENTS
The aluminium industry, a cornerstone of India’s industrial landscape, is characterized by high energy consumption and significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, rendering it one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise. This study offers a detailed assessment of the Indian aluminium sector, analysing its production processes, emission intensity, decarbonisation measures and future emission trajectories under both business-as-usual (BAU) and low-carbon (LC) growth scenarios. In 2023–24, India’s primary aluminium production accounted for approximately 76 million tonnes of CO2e, largely attributed to its dependence on coal-based energy and carbon anode technology.
This study provides a comprehensive analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Indian aluminium sector, evaluating the manufacturing processes, current emission trends, and the implications of international climate policies such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The study further examines emission reduction targets set by key domestic producers-Vedanta, Hindalco and NALCO and estimates that a coordinated low-carbon pathway could reduce national emission intensity to 15.17 tCO2e per tonne by 2030, resulting in 105.71 million tonnes of CO2e emissions against the 126.71 million tonnes under the BAU scenario in 2030, cutting total emissions by nearly 17%.
Despite the availability of low-emission technologies such as inert anodes and renewable energy integration, the adoption remains limited due to the high capital costs, lack of policy coherence and the absence of a dedicated administrative framework. The analysis highlights the critical need for targeted national policies, enhanced R&D efforts and institutional reforms to facilitate the aluminium sector’s transition to a low-carbon future. The study concludes by recommending the establishment of sector-specific regulatory mechanisms, robust material flow tracking for scrap management and inter-ministerial coordination to support India's net zero ambitions.
KEYWORDS: Decarbonisation, Net-zero, Emission Intensity, Hall-Heroult Process, Inert Anode.
