Conference Agenda

Technology and Application | Vision without Execution is Hallucination: How can we move from targets to execution? From commitment and planning to action and results?

Quantifying the Carbon Footprint of the Alouette Primary Aluminum Smelter. This keynote presentation will provide a detailed breakdown of the CO2 footprint of the Alouette smelter using a large body of primary emissions data including the anode and alumina supply chains.

• To deploy new technology we need to mainly consider: Capital, Operating cost, and Operational skills among others. Where do we stand on each? What are the implications in the real world?
• Will the performance be as good as it is being marketed? What is the transition from invention to commercial use? What are the timelines we are looking for?
• What do operations people need in order to get the best out of new technology? How to take technology to the next level in terms of efficiency, lean manufacturing, increase productivity and improve performance on initial results? Are processes and protocols in place for the next wave of R&D?
• How can academia and R&D take us to the next level of performance? What specializations are needed? Is academia in the loop as an active partner? Are they shaping the minds of future generations to lead the operations and address the needs of the industry?
• How can we deploy Industry 4.0 to help our industry reach our operational goals?
• The industry relies on Automation to eliminate mundane tasks as well as improve safety where operators are in the line of fire and the need for human intervention. Can we optimize Automation in new technologies?
• How to ensure that we can streamline supply chain and responsible sourcing? How to balance strategic supply imperatives with cost reduction, just-in-time sourcing and logistics for raw material?
• What else can procurement people do to maximize profitability? In terms of logistics, transportation, taxes, and supply versus demand?

Governance and Sustainability | When the Public Demands Answers How is aluminium making the world a better place?

From Bauxite mines and recycled aluminium right through to downstream, the industry must focus on issues such as climate, circularity and human rights.
What are the challenges and opportunities for the industry with regards to these issues?

• Our role as responsible corporate citizens: Are we making a difference? What needs to be reformed?
• Is the industry driving and educating the public about climate change and the need for recycling?
• Is the average consumer aware of the environmental issues in the aluminium industry? Are they aware of the industry striving to reduce and eliminate its carbon footprint? Or is there a gap between industry and the public perception or public awareness? If yes how can we breach the gap?
• The role of public communication and the importance to respond to public queries. Who's job is it?
• What is the role of the Media? How transparent can we be as an industry with the public?
• Will the average consumer contribute to a better environment by buying aluminium products? What do we need to do to contribute positively to the public?
• When the public wakes up and demands answers, are we ready and proud to say we have achieved optimum environmental goals in face of what the world expects from us?
• Are we doing enough in terms of cooperation and working for the common good or are we still working in silos?

Energy | Wealth Flows from Energy and Ideas: The future is green energy. How does the aluminium industry get there?

The aluminium industry has never been afraid to build power plants to service aluminium smelters. There are countless examples throughout the history of the aluminium industry. Does the same still apply now and in the future? Previously it mattered less how the electricity was generated. Today we must consider renewable energy, hydroelectricity, nuclear energy and other breakthrough technologies. What will the future in energy investment look like in real terms?

The world needs to act on climate change. The aluminium industry generates around 1.1 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year constituting 1% of the total global caused CO2 emissions. Our industry must do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and improve the world's fight against climate change. We need to reboot commitments and actions to meet the needs of the environment. We especially need to re-evaluate our energy supply.

• How can we achieve the 80% reduction in emissions that we need?
• How many shades of green are there in Aluminium?
• What’s the challenges and opportunities for Hydroelectricity, Wind and Solar energy?
• What about Nuclear Energy? is it classified as green energy? is it a potential? How is uranium waste safely disposed?
• What about other inventions and new breakthrough solutions? Like large scale storage batteries farms and facilities?
• Do governments recognise the value in allocating scarce energy resources to aluminium?
• Until we reach our utopia of zero environmental impact, what can we do with our current technology?
• What other new technologies do we need to develop?

Downstream and End User | Cut to the Chase!: Is aluminium the solution that we think it is?

• The IAI outlook for 2050 is that the world will need 150M tons of aluminium, including one third of which should come from recycled metal.
• The global demand and supply balance of green aluminium.

• The world's current production stands at almost 70M Tons of primary aluminium metal. How can we get to 150MT?
• How can we get there using secondary aluminium metal? We need to drastically increase our recycling volume, but is this achievable in reality?
• The demand versus supply for green aluminium is imbalanced. Will the world be able to source enough metal at zero or near-zero emissions?
• What is happening with the semi-finished and the finished products markets? What is happening with extrusion products? Rolling mills? Car manufacturers' scrap recycling systems are thriving in Thailand and in Malaysia - What can South East Asia teach the rest of the world about scrap recycling?
• What are the plans that can help further improve scrap and recycling in these countries?
• Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam markets are quickly developing downstream ultra-modern industries. Is China under threat from the growing industries in South East Asia?
• Can we create the right balance between supply and demand? make it a win-win for everyone?
• What do consumers need? Is aluminium really the metal of the future? What about other substitutes? Steel, Copper, Plastic, Carbon Fibre? Is aluminium a threat or threatened? Any other industries that can replace aluminium in its pursuit of sustainability? What downstream products are needed? Do we need to relook at the applications? increase the range? replace other metals?

Green Coke and Carbon | Do Oil Refineries Care? Green petroleum coke market future scope

Petcoke being a waste by-product of oil refining, what are oil refineries plans for the future? Are they going to be running at the same rate or more in the future? Are there any technology developments at the refineries that will take them away from making petcoke? Are the needs of the aluminium industry being considered? Will supply and demand be balanced? Or will there be a gap in the speed of adoption in the face of technical limitations?

• The price of oil has been tracking like a roller coaster this year. What are the long term risks for these price spikes? How is it affecting the world's economy? What is the short term and long term outlook?
• What are oil refineries’ plans for the future? Will there be a shift? what are the new trends? Are they temporary moves or permanent?
• What is the amount of crude oil processed and products made worldwide? What will Russia's role be in the market in the future? China? Iran? India?
• Will supply and demand be balanced? Or will there be a gap in the speed of adoption in the face of technical limitations?
• What are the new technology developments affecting petcoke? What will happen to the oil refining industry in the face of electric vehicles purchases increase reducing the need for car fuel, and climate change efforts to use alternatives energy sources?
• As electric and hydrogen powered trucks take over our logistics chains, and demand for diesel slips, how will this affect our industry?
• What is the role of the independent refineries in China as the largest supplier of anode grade green coke to the world market?
• Where will the green coke come from?

The Bottom of the Pot | The Low Hanging Fruits: How can we reduce the carbon footprint with the current technology?

While the world is waiting for the inert anode, we are still relying on carbon cathodes and anodes.

• Are there any innovations to extend the life of the pot?
• What are the next developments in Cathode Technology?
• Would changing the design of the anode affect the lifespan of a cathode?
• Is the bottom of the pot being relooked at?

China | Whither the Giant?: Where is China with the climate goals? Can China break through to truly low carbon aluminium?

• China is the world's largest contributor to CO2 emissions, however due to recent reforms China constitutes around two thirds of the world's green aluminium. China announced that they will be installing by next year as many solar panels as USA currently have in total - in only one year!
• A review of the growth and development of recycling centres in China.

In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060.

• Where is China with the climate goals?
• How about the development of solar and wind capacity? What about Nuclear? How does China energy mix look like at the moment?
• Is China's aluminium industry committed to using alternative energy for its operations?
• Does it seem like these goals will be met as per the timeline set? What to expect from China during the COP27 Summit?
• Will China aluminium industry keep growing? What of the 45MT capacity cap?
• Is China under a threat from lower cost countries? Is it under pressure to meet the international market demand for higher standards?
• At the top end, big companies and large conglomerates are setting their standards according to the aluminium they consume, but what about the thousands of downstream factories in China? What standards and how much involvement there is at the grass root level?
• What about the average Chinese citizen, how do they feel about climate change? Is there any awareness about the aluminium industry and its fight against climate change? What is the general attitude with regards to aluminium recycling across the country? What is the average household doing with regards to recycling in general? Are there any facilities available for aluminium recycling? How uniform or accessible is it in the rural versus urban China?
• What are the merits and disadvantages of China aluminium production?
• China's new aluminium capacity is based on hydroelectricity, making that metal suitable as a low carbon source. What role does China see for itself in the global green aluminium market?

Alumina and Bauxite | Green or not Green: How long before the whole world is producing green alumina? What is the supply and demand in the meantime?

• The prospects for bauxite in Indonesia and Guinea is becoming more and more complicated. Where is the future of Alumina investments? Chinese companies along with Alcoa, Rio Tinto, EGA, Ma'aden, etc. have bauxite resources in Guinea.
• Will there be new investments to build refineries in Guinea? How will alumina plants respond to government demands? What changes will happen to the pattern of global bauxite resources in the future?