Oklahoma Primary Aluminum submits environmental plan to ODEQ, cutting proposed fluoride emissions intensity limits by more than one-third

Following months of evaluating the best available technology from leading aluminum facilities worldwide, Oklahoma Primary Aluminum submitted new environmental findings to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ). The updated plan demonstrates that permitted potline fluoride emissions intensity limits for the Inola facility will be reduced by 37% compared to the original proposal.

This beats fluoride intensity limits of many of the top-performing primary aluminum plants worldwide identified by the ODEQ as benchmark facilities, and will be the lowest fluoride emissions intensity limit ever for a U.S. primary aluminum plant.

To achieve this limit, Oklahoma Primary Aluminum will need to install state-of-the-art technologies and operational safeguards, some unprecedented in the U.S. aluminum industry.

Key highlights of the submission include:

• Lower emissions intensity limit: The updated air permit application sets the maximum potline fluoride emissions to 0.64 pounds per U.S. ton of aluminum produced. This is lower than the limits set for 9 out of the 11 top international facilities identified by ODEQ.

• Strict maximum limits: An air permit limit is a maximum cap, allowed to account for varying weather and operational conditions. In day-to-day operations, actual emission levels will be lower.

• Industry-leading standards: The proposed technologies and operating procedures will be best-in-class for environmental protection in primary aluminum production within the United States.

“We take the safety and well-being of our community very seriously,” said Ziad Fares, lead for the project development team. “This work has taken time because we have refused to take shortcuts or provide easy answers that aren’t grounded in rigorous science and engineering. Based on that work, we are now proposing to ODEQ that we invest in technologies and operating procedures that will be best-in-class.”

Oklahoma Primary Aluminum will be engineered to reuse approximately 99% of potroom fluoride emissions captured. Fluoride is an expensive raw material essential in aluminum production.

“Our fluoride emissions limit per ton of metal produced will be much lower than any other primary aluminum plant in the U.S.,” said Fares. “This ground-breaking submission is not the end of this process. We will work closely with ODEQ to provide the data and information needed to demonstrate that these emissions can be safely managed to protect the people, animals and environment around us. As a responsible operator, we welcome this comprehensive review and look forward to continued engagement with the community every step of the way.”

The submission is part of ODEQ’s formal regulatory review process, and verifies that the facility will use Best Available Control Technology for fluoride emissions control. The next step in the process is to conduct air modeling focused on fluorides, as well as soil and flora assessments. These studies are ongoing.

The chart below shows Oklahoma Primary Aluminum’s proposed fluoride emissions intensity limit compared to the limits at primary aluminum plants worldwide identified by ODEQ as benchmark facilities:

Visit the ODEQ Permitting Information page for more information about the regulatory process. Additional technical documentation and answers to common questions are available on our Answers Center.