Design of a new billet casthouse for Norðurál

Verkís participates in the design of a new billet casthouse for Norðurál. The casthouse will house the company’s newest production line, where aluminum billets will be produced.

Construction on the new casthouse has already begun. It is expected that equipment installation will be completed by end of year 2023 and that commercial operations will begin in early 2024. This is an investment of ISK 16 billion.

The Norðurál website states that the new line will increase the value of the production. The project is moving value-added production to Iceland, which has so far taken place abroad. By using renewable energy, the carbon footprint of production will be much smaller than if it took place abroad.

The billets are aluminum cylinders that are in high demand by European customers. Aluminum is a key material in production e.g. of electric cars, solar batteries, airplanes and environmentally friendly buildings. The new casthouse will be able to produce five different diameters billets at a length of up to 8 meters.

Verkís uses the BIM 360 cloud service to design the building and show equipment installations. All reviews and approval processes are handled through the site, as well as sharing of information between designers, Norðurál and equipment manufacturers. This is one of the most extensive projects that Verkís has worked on in the software to date.

Verkís has worked as a consultant for all smelters in Iceland over the past decades.

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