Guide: ABB and project management company Arctial have established an industrial and investment partnership to conduct a feasibility study on low-carbon aluminum production in Finland.
As an investor, ABB has officially joined Arctial, a project management organization, and will become a member of the corporate cooperation framework to carry out in-depth feasibility studies around the Greentop low-carbon aluminum smelter project in Finland. This progress is crucial for Europe’s material supply chain, though specific investment details have not yet been disclosed. The agreement was signed in the first quarter of 2025.
Arctial is committed to exploring business cases for production facilities located in the Kokkola and Kronoby regions on Finland’s west coast, evaluating multiple factors such as commercial, environmental, social, and technical aspects in these areas. This will be the first primary aluminum development project on the European continent in over 30 years, aiming to enhance supply capacity to meet the surging global demand for aluminum in industries such as automotive, electronics, packaging, aerospace, and construction. The project team plans to leverage low-carbon energy from newly built and existing renewable energy infrastructure, and advance the project with local and global industrial partners.
As a global technology leader, ABB will be responsible for assessing the feasibility of electrification and automation solutions, including the application of high-power rectifiers, high-voltage switchgear, transformers, and substation equipment. Within the cooperation framework, ABB’s project team will conduct front-end engineering and design (FEED), preliminary work package descriptions, budget and schedule formulation, and safety risk assessments, with the goal of building a highly energy-efficient, safe, and reliable operational system.
Torbjörn Sternsjö, Chief Executive Officer of Arctial, stated: “Collaboration with industrial supply chain partners is a key part of our strategy. Our shared cooperation philosophy will bring valuable strategic insights, rich expertise, and an expanded industry network to the project. We look forward to creating brilliance with our investment partners.”
“As an early partner in Arctial’s low-carbon aluminum project, we will not only invest funds in the project but also leverage our technical expertise accumulated over generations. We are well aware that this project will have a broad impact on the entire European supply chain and everyday consumers, and we believe our technical influence can help turn this vision into reality,” said Joachim Braun, Global President of ABB’s Process Industries Business.
Arctial plans to make a final investment decision (FID) on the production facilities between 2026 and 2027. This decision will be based on a comprehensive evaluation process, and ABB’s feasibility study is a critical first step in this process.
