The Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Terje Aasland visited Elkem Salten on Monday 22 May. Elkem’s supplies of critical raw materials to the green transition were among the topics presented by plant manager Ove Sørdahl.
Elkem Salten, located in Nordland county in Norway, is one of the world’s largest, most modern and most sustainable silicon plants exporting silicon and microsilica products worldwide. Silicon metal is ranked as one of the critical raw materials for the EU, and Norway is Europe’s largest producer.
The production of silicon is energy intensive, and Elkem more than 80% relies on renewable energy in its global operations. In 2021, Elkem opened a new energy recovery plant at the Salten plant, recovering 28% of the electrical energy used, equal to the power consumption of about 15,000 Norwegian households. This was the result of an investment of around NOK 1.2 billion, including financial support from the Norwegian government.
To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, Elkem has been continuously working to reduce fossil CO2 emissions in recent years, while at the same time growing supplies of critical materials to growth markets like electric vehicles and renewable energy.