EGA to mark Earth Hour 2018, having saved over 70,000 kWh through weekly switch-offs since last year

EGA has switched off non-essential electrical devices for an hour every week since last year’s Earth Hour

United Arab Emirates, 23 March 2018 --- Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that it saved over 70,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in the past year through weekly observance of Earth Hour.

The annual Earth Hour takes place tomorrow, and aims to encourage people worldwide to switch-off non-essential electrical devices for an hour to inspire action to protect the environment.

EGA has participated in Earth Hour annually since 2008, and increased its own Earth Hours to monthly in 2015 and weekly in 2016.

EGA has saved over 30,000 kilogrammes of CO2 through its weekly Earth Hours since last March, the equivalent to taking six cars off the road.

Abdulla Kalban, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of EGA said: “The savings from our weekly participation in Earth Hour are modest, but the true impact is in changing mind-sets. As an energy intensive industry, reducing the amount of energy we use to make each tonne of aluminium saves both costs and emissions. Everyone has a role to play in reducing energy use at EGA, and more broadly in society for our planet.”

EGA has focused on technology innovation for over 25 years to improve the energy efficiency of the smelting process, saving costs and emissions. EGA’s technology development, and earlier work since 1980, has reduced the amount of electricity required to produce each tonne of aluminium by 37.5 per cent.

EGA also saves around AED5 million each year in energy costs by implementing energy conservation ideas from shopfloor staff ideas to reduce energy use.