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Most large aluminum plants generate their own power.

niftich 9y ago
This isn't strictly true, but isn't strictly false. Power plants are often built to supply power to aluminum smelters, like in New Zealand [1], Oman [2], and Iceland [3], but they're usually connected to the grid in the end. Iceland has a grid circling the island [4], Oman is upgrading its grid and building out interconnects [5][6], and in New Zealand, Manapouri went from exclusively supplying the Tiwai Point smelter to being a power station of the South Island grid. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manapouri_Power_Station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manapouri_Power_Station [2] http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/print/volume-17/issue-9/special-project-report/state-of-the-art-ccpp-fires-omanrsquos-new-aluminium-smelter.html http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/print/volume-17/... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rahnj%C3%BAkar_Hydropower_Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rahnj%C3%BAkar_Hydropow... [4] https://nea.is/hydro-power/electric-power/transmission/ https://nea.is/hydro-power/electric-power/transmission/ [5] https://www.omangrid.com/en/Pages/Existing-Transmission-System.aspx https://www.omangrid.com/en/Pages/Existing-Transmission-Syst... [6] https://businessgateways.com/news/2017/07/30/Oman-plans-to-interconnect-north-south-power-grids https://businessgateways.com/news/2017/07/30/Oman-plans-to-i...
- kasey_junk 9y ago
  The generators are connected to the grid, both for buying & selling but it is absolutely not true they don’t manage the ebbs & flows. Quit the opposite it’s a major part of their business
- Taniwha 9y ago
  Until someone puts in a tie line from Roxburgh to Benmore Manapouri's power is really only available to the lower third of the South Island. Mind you the sooner we shut down the smelter and redeploy that power to locally owned industry the better
walrus01 9y ago
Most large aluminum plants are located very near giant hydroelectric dams, but I do not know of a single one that actually owns the dam.
- kasey_junk 9y ago
  http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/what-we-do/energy/default.asp http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/what-we-do/energy/default.asp Alcoa has a whole division for energy generation. Their energy plants are collocated with aluminum plants, most like the Warrick operation are coal but they do have a hydro plant.
- arethuza 9y ago
  The Lochaber Hydro Electric scheme in Scotland was privately built and is still privately owned and feeds water to power the aluminium smelter in Fort William.

This isn't strictly true, but isn't strictly false. Power plants are often built to supply power to aluminum smelters, like in New Zealand [1], Oman [2], and Iceland [3], but they're usually connected to the grid in the end. Iceland has a grid circling the island [4], Oman is upgrading its grid and building out interconnects [5][6], and in New Zealand, Manapouri went from exclusively supplying the Tiwai Point smelter to being a power station of the South Island grid. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manapouri_Power_Station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manapouri_Power_Station [2] http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/print/volume-17/issue-9/special-project-report/state-of-the-art-ccpp-fires-omanrsquos-new-aluminium-smelter.html http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/print/volume-17/... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rahnj%C3%BAkar_Hydropower_Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rahnj%C3%BAkar_Hydropow... [4] https://nea.is/hydro-power/electric-power/transmission/ https://nea.is/hydro-power/electric-power/transmission/ [5] https://www.omangrid.com/en/Pages/Existing-Transmission-System.aspx https://www.omangrid.com/en/Pages/Existing-Transmission-Syst... [6] https://businessgateways.com/news/2017/07/30/Oman-plans-to-interconnect-north-south-power-grids https://businessgateways.com/news/2017/07/30/Oman-plans-to-i...

kasey_junk 9y ago
The generators are connected to the grid, both for buying & selling but it is absolutely not true they don’t manage the ebbs & flows. Quit the opposite it’s a major part of their business
Taniwha 9y ago
Until someone puts in a tie line from Roxburgh to Benmore Manapouri's power is really only available to the lower third of the South Island. Mind you the sooner we shut down the smelter and redeploy that power to locally owned industry the better

walrus01 9y ago

Most large aluminum plants are located very near giant hydroelectric dams, but I do not know of a single one that actually owns the dam.

kasey_junk 9y ago
http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/what-we-do/energy/default.asp http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/what-we-do/energy/default.asp Alcoa has a whole division for energy generation. Their energy plants are collocated with aluminum plants, most like the Warrick operation are coal but they do have a hydro plant.
arethuza 9y ago
The Lochaber Hydro Electric scheme in Scotland was privately built and is still privately owned and feeds water to power the aluminium smelter in Fort William.