Saving Iceland, aluminium, and electricity

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2377698.ece

22 March 2007 02:44 Home > News > Environment
Environmentalists in uproar as Iceland pays the price for green energy push
By Richard Hollingham in Karahnjukar, Iceland
Published: 21 March 2007
Europe's largest wilderness is paying the price of Iceland's decision to market cheap, "green", renewable electricity to the world, as a massive new smelter nears completion.

Across a pool of oily water deep inside a rocky cavern carved into a mountain, two steel pipes stretch up into a black void. They rise as high as the Empire State Building. Within weeks these pipes will be connected to enormous turbines and some 40km (25 miles) away, the waters of a 57 sq km reservoir will be released.

The power station in the mountain is only part of the construction project being built in eastern Iceland. It is designed to provide electricity for an aluminium smelter operated by the American multinational, Alcoa. And while the generators may be hidden from view - the source of the energy certainly is not.

An hour's drive along the new asphalt road, which winds across a windswept plateau, you reach what was once one of the most isolated parts of an isolated country: Kárahnjúkar. The monochromatic scenery of black rock and white snow, under grey skies, was once dominated by a deep fissure in the earth - a canyon carved by the waters from Europe's largest glacier. Now that flow has dried to a trickle and this incredible natural feature is blocked by the massive concrete wall of a new dam.

For those building the Kárahnjúkar dam this marks an exciting new stage in the country's development. "The hydroelectric resources of Iceland are stranded here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean," says Sigurdur Arnalds, an engineer from the national power company, Landsvirkjun.

"We cannot sell the power to other countries because we are isolated here. The sole purpose of this is to sell electrical power to foreign industries, in this case it's aluminium to Alcoa. If you look at it globally this is clean energy."

Far better to build aluminium smelters in Iceland, goes the argument, than power them with fossil fuels elsewhere. It's estimated that by using "green" energy, carbon emissions from aluminium production are reduced by some 90 per cent. For companies keen to stress their environmental credentials, you can see the attraction of setting up in Iceland. From the cold water pouring off the glaciers to the reservoirs of hot water under the ground that can be tapped for geothermal power, there's more green energy here than Iceland's 300,000 inhabitants could possibly need.

But if it's all so green - why is opposition to the project so vociferous? Environmental campaigners are coming here from across the world, the Icelandic singer Bjork has written songs about Kárahnjúkar and politicians are highlighting the issue in forthcoming elections.

"This is the greatest environmental impact possible in Iceland," says Ómar Ragnarsson, one of Iceland's most respected journalists. After covering the story of the dam for the country's national broadcaster, he became so incensed that he switched from journalism to campaigning. "We are taking this valley from future generations just for the benefit of some power utilisation company," he complains angrily. "All this area will be hit with such destruction that the Icelanders will be shy of showing it for thousands of years."

Some people already claim to be feeling the effects. Some 120km downstream of the dam, Örn Thorleifsson farms on the island of Húsey. The nearest village is almost two hours' drive away. It really does feel like the end of the world. He calls it a beautiful paradise - a haven for birds, seals bask on the beach; apart from the wind rattling the windows, it's almost totally silent.

"Everything has changed since they began to build the dam," he says. "They destroyed everything." He tells how sand and clay, washed down the mountain from the construction, have ruined local fishing grounds. The dam has also blocked the flow of glacial sediment to the coast. Without these sediments, Mr Thorleifsson claims, his island home could disappear.

But in this part of Iceland, Mr Ragnarsson and Mr Thorleifsson are in the minority. You'll struggle in the villages to find anyone who has a bad word for heavy industry. Take the pretty community of Reydarfjordur for instance, near where the Alcoa smelter is soon to start production. The economic benefits of having a major employer here are tangible: there's a new shopping mall, new roads are being built, tunnels are being drilled through the mountains to connect communities often cut off whenever there's bad weather. Before the smelter, the area was in terminal economic decline, people were moving away and houses were being abandoned.

Around the headland from Reydarfjordur, the power lines from the mountains come to an end at Alcoa's state-of-the-art smelter. The raw materials will arrive by sea - the processed alumina powder coming all the way from Australia. The metal is produced in 336 large vats or pots, as they're called, working at 900C with each requiring a staggering 180 000 amps of electricity. It's the reason the dam has to be so big. The first pot starts production next month and by the end of the year the plant will be producing some 346,000 tonnes of aluminium per year. More than a tonne for every Icelander.

The process of aluminium production also generates carbon dioxide. So while the energy may be green, aluminium can't really be described as carbon neutral. And this isn't the only aspect of Iceland's energy policy that isn't quite as green as it might first appear. Under the Kyoto protocol, thanks to the country's clean energy reserves, Iceland negotiated an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. As a result heavy industries that locate here can produce carbon dioxide without penalty - therefore avoiding carbon taxes or the complications of offsetting or trading carbon emissions.

Nevertheless, Alcoa has a pretty good track record when it comes to environmental responsibilities, with targets to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Its website talks of stewardship and sustainability. But Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir, a Green MP, believes Iceland is being taken advantage of. "We have this beautiful untouched nature, in itself a resource that can be used for the benefit of the nation through tourism, through science, through other kinds of things other than selling cheap electricity to foreign aluminium plants," she says.

Although the dam and smelter projects were approved by an overwhelming majority in the parliament in 2002, Ms Halldórsdóttir says a lot has changed in the past five years and people are now coming round to her point of view.

And while it may be too late for Kárahnjúkar, it's not too late to stop other areas being developed. The government is consulting on building two new industrial smelters and expanding a third. If they are given the go-ahead, at least four more dams will need to be built. "There's no need to try to attract more and more to Iceland." A surprising statement, perhaps, to hear from Iceland's new Minister of Industry and Commerce, Jon Sigurdsson. "Aluminium is a good addition to our economy; it's an important part of our development - but only a part."

Just a little more on Al (Aluminium or Aluminum) and Cars.

There's a big problem in business thinking - assuming that economic growth is necessary, justified and climate-tolerable
if it's done in the right way...

But more cars, even light-weight Al cars are going to mean more CO2 emissions, so bad news...

And the recognition of the part that recycling can play in climate relief just doesn't even begin to register
with this writer (see below) who seems to assume that even though recycling is good and necessary
that massive virgin mined Al production will continue to be necessary...think it through...

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070323005675&newsLang=en

March 23, 2007 04:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Aluminum Industry States Position on Climate Change U.S. Legislative Policy
Emissions Legislation Could Mandate Reductions for U.S. Companies

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Aluminum Industry today has made public its “Position on Climate Change Policies.” This action follows Aluminum Association member meetings in Washington and a ballot vote of its board.

“We believe that it is important for the U.S. aluminum industry to assume a leadership position in this cause for environmental sustainability of our industry and products, on a market-wide and global basis,” said Patrick Franc, chairman of The Aluminum Association and president of ARCO Aluminum/BP.

The position statement recognizes that scientists have determined that the earth is gradually warming due, in part, to increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases due to human activities, and that the aluminum industry recognizes that climate change presents a challenge that requires cooperative action on a global basis, and promotes international participation.

Should the U.S. adopt legislation that would regulate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), the industry seeks recognition of the benefits of recycling toward GHG emissions reduction. After the initial energy investment in primary aluminum production, the recycling of aluminum saves 95% of energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

“The aluminum industry in the U.S. has made considerable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, offering both experience and a positive track record in this cause. Our contributions through recycling and downstream emissions reductions through better, less emitting automobiles, will help the United States and other countries protect the environment,” said Steve Larkin, president of The Aluminum Association.

The industry’s fully-developed complementary primary and reclamation system thereby currently reduces the overall energy consumption in total U.S. aluminum production by approximately 46 percent, and reduces GHG by approximately 38 percent. The industry sees opportunity for further reduction and supports policy that provides incentives for recycling.

The position demonstrates that life-cycle studies of aluminum’s use in North American automotive applications show that replacing two pounds of traditional material with one pound of aluminum to lightweight a vehicle can save on a typical mid-size sedan 20 pounds of CO2 emissions over the lifetime of that vehicle. The use of automotive aluminum has doubled since 1991 and is expected to double again in the next decade. This light-weighting savings occurs also for truck, buses, trains, boats and ships for all transportation means. Any climate change policy should recognize and provide incentives for additional transportation light-weighting applications that reduce transportation-related GHG emissions.

The aluminum industry’s Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership has met or exceeded goals since 1990. From 1990 to 2000 the program reduced by about 45% PFC emissions, resulting in annual emissions reductions of over 2.2 MMTCE. Since the industry has taken the initiative to voluntarily reduce its process greenhouse gas emissions, it strongly supports policies and programs that give credit for early action taken since 1990.

The Industry supports efficient and economically sound emissions trading programs and registries that recognize early emissions reductions. It supports an economy-wide, fair market-driven approach that may include a cap and trade program that limits GHG emissions. The approach should result in market incentives that stimulate investment and innovation in technologies necessary to grow while achieving environmental reduction targets.

To reduce potential negative impacts on the U.S. manufacturing sector, which by 2005 had already reduced total GHG emissions below 1990 levels, provision should be made in any GHG program to reduce the expected negative impacts of energy cost increases such as through corporate tax credits. The industry participates in and recommends public/private partnerships to spur pre-competitive research to reduce greenhouse gas process emissions and to promote energy saving aluminum product applications.

The industry supports a responsible approach to growth in demand for its products and the consequent growth in activity and related emissions, noting that solutions to the climate change issue involve both reducing emissions at the source, and also over the full lifecycle of the material or products.

Recycling is a greenwash fad.

If I were a large company setting about despoiling the planet to make a profit, I would still make token gestures towards the green sentiment.

The aluminium / aluminum companies are clearly going to carry on mining and smelting, because they declare there is demand for virgin/new/extra metal.

The fact that they can recycle and save money just gives them higher profits.

Read this sentence carefully from the link :-

"The use of automotive aluminum has doubled since 1991 and is expected to double again in the next decade."

That can only mean that extra Al has to enter the materials chain.

And you can bet that, despite the claims to want to control their CO2 emissions, since it takes energy to recycle Al, they will continue to increase their CO2 emissions.

http://www.grist.org/comments/interactivist/2004/11/01/fuller/index1.html

"You've been on the board of directors at Alcoa for a couple of years, and WWF has been the
recipient of a large grant from the Alcoa Foundation. Do you see any conflicts in being on the
board of an aluminum company -- an industry known for being one of the most energy-intensive
in the world, resistant to stronger recycling efforts, and currently interested or involved in
destructive dam projects in Iceland, the Amazon, and elsewhere?"

http://www.savingiceland.org/node/229?PHPSESSID=ec2a7e79

"As reported on this web site, last year WWF International slammed ALCOA, the world’s biggest
aluminium producer, over its plans to dam 22 square miles of Karahnjukar, in order to source hydro-power
for a future smelter...Ms Fuller sits on the board of ALCOA, following the company’s ascendancy to
so-called “corporate club” status at WWF-USA...Ms Fuller has refused to resign from ALCOA,
claiming: “You have an opportunity to steer the ship if you’re on the bridge”. What’s for sure is that,
not even the most consummate of pilots can guide two vessels at once, especially if they’re on collision course."

There's an Aluminium magnate at the head of the WWF World Wildlife Fund. Why ? Because of Aluminium's remarkable contributions to the environment : poisoning, landface scarring, refuse, road deaths...and the weapons industry.

Here's a little about the metal and mining industry's contribution to war :-

http://www.minesandcommunities.org/Mineral/aluminium2.htm

"Now, Laotians are precariously trying to recover the aluminium, used as casings for the body-shredding "cluster bombs" which epitomised state-sponsored terrorism directed against "innocent people" in South East Asia. It's a savage irony that - just as this unusual form of recycling receives attention in the UK media - the Pentagon is warning that its supplies of aluminium, along with titanium and speciality steels, are being "threatened" by rising Chinese demand."

I don't want to argue with you, but...

It does make a lot of sense to recycle aluminium / aluminum, but the increase in the quantity of aluminium used in production (whether cars, weapons, baking foil or whatever) implies an increase in the Carbon Dioxide emissions caused, and an increase in the amount of aluminium mined.

My point is that increasing the sheer volume of the materials stream, whether or not some of that is recycled, is causing increased Carbon Dioxide emissions through the increase in Energy used in production.

This is an important point : the basis of economic growth is currently dependent on the increase in the amount of materials in the production and consumption stream.

There is a chain of demand that necessitates the desecration of virgin Icelandic wilderness and causes Global Warming in the process.