In the heart of Fort Lupton, an aluminum company has struck gold in the form of winning a competitive $22.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to go toward eco-friendly initiatives that keep decarbonization front-and-center.
The DOE has $6 billion in funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, and selected 33 companies from a pool of 411 applicants.
The selected companies were chosen based on their unique proposals to the DOE, almost all of them representing “difficult-to-decarbonize industries,” and being located in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. As defined by the Justice40 Initiative, nearly 80% of the 33 projects are located in disadvantaged communities. Project managers proposed to the DOE how this funding for their company could have a tangible effect on community members’ lives, from their health to their infrastructure.
The company, Golden Aluminum, has been environmentally conscious from the jump. Founded by the Coors Brewery in 1983, they originally produced beverage can sheets made entirely from recycled aluminum.
On Earth Day, April 22, the DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations held a virtual community briefing for the Industrial Demonstrations Program in the western region, which includes Colorado.
In partnership with the office’s Industrial Demonstrations Team, a select number of private companies participated and presented their projects, letting the community know what tangible benefits their projects could offer to community members’ everyday lives. The office’s mission statement is to “deliver clean energy technology demonstration projects at scale in partnership with the private sector to accelerate deployment, market adoption and the equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system.”
The project managers for Golden Aluminum were excited to keep the company’s green legacy alive, hoping to put the grant money toward their “Nexcast Mini Mill,” among other projects.
The Nexcast Mini Mill is a versatile aluminum continuous-casting technology. Basically, the process by which aluminum casting is created involves pouring molten aluminum into a mold and allowing it to cool and solidify.
Lightweight as it may be, the casting process is typically carried out by a DC hot rolling mill, and the carbon footprint of such machines is huge, equivalent to 1,800 feet. The mini mill’s carbon footprint, on the other hand, would be equivalent to about 175 feet, and if we’re talking percentages, a 63.9% reduction in carbon output.
Other projects they are considering include upgrading from rotary furnaces to a “Delacquering Kiln and Shredder,” which would increase the capacity of scrap input, allow them to reuse and recycle more scrap metal in their products and utilize lower energy burners and melters.
Project managers at Golden Aluminum want the community to know that it’s not just upgraded gadgets and gizmos they’re after with this grant: they believe it will provide Fort Lupton residents with improved job opportunities and a much-needed economic boost.
“Our intent with this project is to create a training and development center that will provide direct hands-on training in certain categories such as pneumatics, hydraulics, programmable logic controllers, and other technically advanced manufacturing,” said Lisa Vaughn, who works on the company’s project team. “We also envision a computer lab as part of this design. This will ultimately provide Golden Aluminum with the ability to upskill our workforce as well as share the center with community members to help others develop these skills for the long term and create above-market job opportunities.”
Other community benefits of the DOE grant, Vaughn said, include partnerships with local schools.
As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America Agenda, the DOE’s $6 billion budget represents the single largest industrial decarbonization investment in the nation’s history.
“Spurring on the next generation of decarbonization technologies in key industries like steel, paper, concrete, and glass will keep America the most competitive nation on Earth,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in a press release. “Thanks to President Biden’s industrial strategy, DOE is making the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in the history of the United States. These investments will slash emissions from these difficult-to-decarbonize sectors and ensure American businesses and American workers remain at the forefront of the global economy.”
In an effort to better engage with community members who live, work, and play in the areas these 33 projects will be, the DOE and project teams are hosting numerous community forums like Monday’s throughout the full lifecycle of each project, giving community members a chance to share their comments, questions, or concerns.
Colorado is in the west region along with Arizona and California. While future Colorado-specific meeting dates are to be determined, you can sign up for email OCED alerts to be notified when the briefings are announced.