São Luis Alumar power station
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São Luis Alumar power station (Central Elétrica São Luis Alumar) is a retired power station of at least 76-megawatts (MW) in Sao Luis, Maranhão, Brazil.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| São Luis Alumar power station | Sao Luis, Maranhão, Brazil | -2.5283, -44.3044 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | retired | coal: unknown | 38 | subcritical | 2009 | 2024 |
| Unit 2 | retired | coal: unknown | 38 | subcritical | 2009 | 2024 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Consorcio Alumar [100%] | Alcoa Corp [54.0%]; South32 Ltd [36.0%]; Rio Tinto Alcan Inc [10.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Consorcio Alumar [100%] | Alcoa Corp [54.0%]; South32 Ltd [36.0%]; Rio Tinto Alcan Inc [10.0%] |
Project-level captive use details
- Captive industry: Aluminum
Background
São Luis Alumar power station is a captive two-unit, 75.2 MW mineral coal-fired power plant that serves the ALUMAR alumina refinery in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil.Consórcio de Alumínio do Maranhão (ALUMAR)[1][2][3][4] The refinery has operated since 1984, but the two coal units were added in 2009 in an expansion that cost the plant's sponsors $2.7 billion (USD).[5] According to the company website, the alumina refinery was able to increase their capacity to 3.7 million tons since the power station was built in 2009.[5]
Although the aluminum smelting operations were shuttered since 2015 there was no formal indication in company reporting that the coal units stopped operating;[6][7] however, the coal units were not included in Alcoa's 2020 annual report of energy facilities in Brazil.[8] In 2019, Alcoa noted in their sustainability report that residents of Coqueiro complained about odors, increased headaches & nausea, carbon dust, noise, and bauxite dust which led to a review of the coal burning process and purchase of a different type of coal in an attempt to reduce spontaneous combustion.[9] The operating status of the coal burning units is unclear during the seven years between 2015 and 2022.
In Alcoa's 2021 annual report, the company stated that it planned to restart its 268,000 mtpy of idle smelting capacity at Alumar, with normal operations to resume by the fourth quarter of 2022.[10] Alcoa stated that the aluminum plant would be operated by 100% renewable energy by 2024.[6][7][10] Other reports published in 2022 confirmed the plant's expected transition from coal to renewables without specifying an exact date.[11][12][13]
Financing for the project is divided as follows:
- Alcoa: 54%
- South32: 36%
- Rio Tinto: 10%[10]
In March 2023, an accident at the aluminum complex reportedly resulted in the extended disfunction of a conveyor belt, which prevented materials, including coal, from being delivered. [14]
Transition to renewable energy
Reporting in May 2023 indicated that the Alumar smelter in Maranhão had already exchanged the use of fossil fuels in its operations with 100% renewable energy.[15] However, in June 2023, Alcoa claimed that the Alumar smelter was in the process of being restarted and would run on 100% hydroelectric power once complete.[16] A statement from the Maranhão state government in November 2023 announced a partnership with Alumar to invest R$ 3 billion into the modernization of aluminum production.[17] Of the investment, R$ 2 billion was planned to be spent between 2023 and 2024 for the improvements needed to convert the plant to 100% renewable energy.
Additional reporting in 2023 and 2024 indicated that the restarted smelter would operate entirely on hydropower, or other renewable energy sources, but did not explicitly state that the coal-fired units had been retired, converted, or dismantled.[18][19][20]
An Alcoa investor presentation in September 2024 indicated that their Alumar smelter in Brazil received 100% of its energy from PPAs, all of which provided renewable energy.[21]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Alcoa -- The Element of Possibility". www.alcoa.com. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ↑ "Alumina". Alcoa. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Tolmasquim, Mauricio (2016). "Energia Termelétrica: Gás Natural, Biomassa, Carvão, Nuclear" (PDF). Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (EPE). Retrieved April 12, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Térmica Alumar inicia operação comercial de 75,2 MW - Blog do GESEL- Grupo de Estudos do Setor Elétrico - UFRJ". www.nuca.ie.ufrj.br (in português). Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Fact Sheet: ALUMAR" (PDF). Alcoa.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Staff (2021-09-26). "Alcoa To Restart Alumar Aluminium Refinery In Brazil After Six Year Shutdown". Aluminium Insider. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Alcoa Plans Restart of Aluminum Smelting Capacity at Alumar in Brazil". news.alcoa.com. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ↑ "2020 Annual Report" (PDF). Alcoa. December 31, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "2019 Alcoa Sustainability Report" (PDF). Alcoa. 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Annual Report 2021: Turning Raw Potential into Real Progress (p 13), SEC report (p 4)" (PDF). Alcoa. February 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Novo ciclo de investimentos com a extensão da outorga". Editora Brasil Energia. October 4, 2022.
- ↑ Laura Cornish (January 6, 2022). "Energy-intensive aluminium smelter goes fully renewable". Mining Review.
- ↑ "Alcoa anuncia plano de zerar emissões líquidas de Gases de Efeito Estufa (GEE) nas operações globais até 2050". Alcoa. August 23, 2022.
- ↑ "Acidente no sistema de esteira pode afetar produção da Alumar". Alcoa. March 27, 2023.
- ↑ Alcoa investe R$ 1,3 bilhão para descarbonizar duas unidades do Brasil - Leia mais em: https://megawhat.energy/economia-e-politica/empresas/alcoa-investe-r-13-bilhao-para-descarbonizar-duas-unidades-do-brasil/, MegaWhat, May 30, 2023
- ↑ Alcoa accelerates energy transition in Brazil with electrification of Juruti mine, Alcoa, June 14, 2023
- ↑ “Pode investir mais, o Brasil vai crescer”, diz Alckmin no Maranhão, Government of Brazil, November 13, 2023
- ↑ The Shift Toward Renewable Power in Aluminum Smelting, Light Metal Age, March 8, 2023
- ↑ Investimentos de R$ 1,3 bilhão em transição energética, Brasil Mineral, May 29, 2023
- ↑ Brazil Aluminium, South32, Accessed: November 27, 2024
- ↑ Investor Presentation, Alcoa, September 2024
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
