Life cycle assessment of aluminium production in new Alcoa smelter in Greenland

Summary in English

The present report is a detailed study of the environmental impacts, seen in a life cycle perspective, of an aluminium smelter with an annual capacity of 360,000 tonnes planned for instalment in West Greenland. The study is initiated by Alcoa and the Government of Greenland. The smelter is still in the planning phase, and will not be operating before 2014, at the earliest.

The objective of the LCA is to provide life cycle-based environmental information on the planned aluminium smelter in relation to the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process, which is ongoing from 2007 to 2009 (Greenland Home Rule 2007).

This summary is divided into three parts. The first part is the background section that describes the context and purpose of the LCA, while the second part explains the scope of study as well as important methodological considerations and choices. The third part presents the main results of the study. These include the estimated GHG emissions of the planned aluminium smelter in Greenland, and GHG emissions related to an alternative aluminium production. The alternative is assumed to be implemented if the Greenland smelter is not established, or to be avoided if the project continues as planned. Finally, part three comprises a sensitivity analysis highlighting the uncertainties of the LCA results.