Qatalum
In 2011 we completed the Qatalum project, the world's largest aluminium plant ever built in one step. Situated in the middle of the dessert in Qatar, the plant is among the most efficient in the world in terms of energy, emissions and cost. The development is the largest Norwegian industrial project abroad, with a total investment of $5.7 billion.
Qatalum is a joint venture between Hydro and Qatar Petroleum. At the peak of the construction phase, there were more than 22,000 workers in the field simultaneously. More than 56,000 workers from more than 200 companies have been directly involved in the construction, representing 84 nationalities and more than 200 companies from around the world.
Energy-efficient buildings
Reducing energy consumption is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today and in the future. Buildings alone account for 40 per cent of global energy consumption. The future is energy-neutral buildings. Our innovative Powerhouse projects are designed to fundamentally change the way we construct buildings. The aim is to consume zero energy.
In cooperation with Entra Eiendom, Skanska, Snøhetta, and the environmental organization ZERO, we founded Powerhouse, a collaborative project on energy-positive buildings. Energy-positive buildings are buildings that produce more energy than they consume. The project will set new national and international standards for how we all work with and build energy-efficient and energy-positive buildings in the future.
Norway's biggest acquisition abroad
The integration of Vale Aluminium is transforming Hydro. In order to master the entire value chain of aluminium, we bought the bauxite, alumina and aluminium operations in Brazil from the Brazilian mining and metal company Vale – the second-largest company of its kind in the world. The deal was valued at $5 billion and was one of Norway’s largest purchases abroad ever.
About 3,600 Vale employees became part of Hydro. We secured our supply of bauxite and alumina, the primary raw materials for making aluminium, for decades to come. The deal strengthened our position and improved our competitiveness. We are now a fully integrated aluminium company, with prize assets all the way from bauxite to end-user products and recyling. Through this acquisition, we secured our own future.
