Novelis, a leading sustainable aluminium solutions provider and the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, announced that it has successfully completed the UK’s first full-scale hydrogen fuel switching demonstration in the aluminium industry at its Latchford plant.

The two-week trial, funded by the UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) Industrial Fuel Switching (IFS) Competition, involved converting a natural gas furnace to operate flexibly on hydrogen.

The demonstration confirmed that hydrogen can be safely delivered and combusted in aluminium recycling furnaces. Existing infrastructure was successfully adapted, product quality remained consistent, and dual-fuel burners allowed for operational flexibility. Novelis partnered with Progressive Energy to deliver the project over a two-year period. The milestone follows a series of successful tests earlier this year at the company’s Warrington site, where hydrogen was blended with natural gas at levels from 30–100% to assess infrastructure compatibility, product quality and emissions.

In recognition of this achievement, the project was awarded the IEA Hydrogen TCP Award of Excellence 2025, presented in Busan, South Korea. The award highlights innovations in hydrogen technologies for hard-to-decarbonize sectors and sustainable fuels. Novelis was selected as the first winner among 13 global entries.

The trial also underscored the need for robust infrastructure to support bulk hydrogen supply and distribution. Mechanisms like the UK’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement (LCHA) are a positive start, but widespread transport and storage networks will be essential for industrial decarbonization in the North-West.

The successful execution of this program gives Novelis the technical confidence to eliminate up to 45kt/y of direct CO₂ emissions at the Latchford site, contingent on hydrogen availability. Future deployment depends on connection to the HyNet hydrogen network, expected from 2031, or on-site electrolytic production.

In parallel, Novelis is investing approximately $90 million to double the recycling capacity for used beverage cans (UBCs) at Latchford. This expansion will increase capacity by 85 kt per year and reduce Novelis Europe’s CO₂ emissions by more than 350 ktCO₂/y.