World leadership and 600 thousand jobs: the aluminium industry was discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO

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Domestic aluminium enterprises provide employment for more than 600 thousand people. Over the past few years, annual production has increased from 700 thousand tons to 1.15 million tons. The potential for the next few years is at least two million tons of production and processing. Such data was presented at the session "Aluminium Industry of High Achievements", which was held at the RUSSIA EXPO.

"Domestic aluminium enterprises provide employment for more than 600 thousand people with an extensive geography of presence of industrial production facilities, and actively create conditions for ensuring Russia's technological independence. Thanks to the active cooperation of industrial enterprises, the aluminium industry implements significant projects in construction, automotive, transport infrastructure, energy, mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, which use the most advanced domestic solutions," noted Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov in his address to the participants of the session.

State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Viktor Yevtukhov reminded that the potential for development of the aluminium industry in the country is far from exhausted, and although the pace of its modernization has slowed down due to sanctions pressure, it can be accelerated again in the near future.

"We now rank second in the world in aluminium production, but we have a lot of prospects specifically in high value-added production. Over the past few years we have increased production from 700,000 tons per year to 1.15 million tons, and in 2021 we reached a peak of 1.3 million tons. Afterwards, the imposed restrictions pushed us back a bit. But according to expert estimates, our potential for the next few years is no less than two million tons of production and processing. And not only for consumption within our country, but also in order to surprise and attract interest of partners from other countries," said Viktor Yevtukhov.

Sergei Muzychenko, Deputy Minister of Construction and Architecture of the Russian Federation, said that aluminium has already gained key importance for the construction industry. It is used in various construction elements, bridge structures, formwork, facades, stained glass. Recently, the building codes have included norms on the use of aluminium in the construction of airfields, including in the form of plates for covering runways. The construction of a bridge in Nizhny Novgorod region, completed in 2023, is a striking example of the growing demand for aluminium - the 72-meter-long bridge structure across the Linda River is the first in Russia to be made entirely of aluminium. But the value of the lightweight metal in construction could still very well grow.

"A promising direction is the transition to the construction of load-bearing building structures. There is an understanding that such structures can be very useful in construction in earthquake-active zones of the country. Aluminium is both lighter than traditional materials and not inferior to them in other important characteristics. It is necessary to develop the regulatory framework, to conduct research work, we are already working together with the Aluminium Association in this direction, there are specific plans for this year and for the next one," said Sergei Muzychenko.

According to Irina Kazovskaya, Chairman of the Aluminium Association of Russia, 10 years ago it was much easier for aluminium producers to export their products than to find buyers inside the country, but over the past years the situation has changed, and now the domestic demand for aluminium is constantly growing. Producers are manufacturing high-tech and environmentally friendly products with high added value.

"We expect consumption growth mainly in construction, transport, consumer goods, and energy. In the latter case, we have managed to create a convenient alternative to copper wires for consumers - aluminium wiring is 40% cheaper and has the same technical characteristics, but is protected from falsification. In addition, great prospects are opening up in the production of environmentally friendly packaging for medicines and food products. Not so long ago, a whole range of products - including freight cars and tank cars - were not available. We are currently designing passenger cars, including double-deck cars, and in the future will design cars for high-speed railroads," said Irina Kazovskaya.

Aluminium Days are arranged and held by the Association of Aluminium Producers, Suppliers and Consumers (Aluminium Association). The Association was established in 2015 with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and RUSAL company. It comprises more than 130 companies and organizations representing the entire production chain: from aluminium smelting to the production of high-tech aluminium end products and recycling. Today, these companies account for more than 75% of the total production of high-value-added aluminium products.