08:22 AM EST, 02/24/2025 (MT Newswires) -- PyroGenesis ( PYRGF ) on Monday said it has signed a $2.4 million contract with aluminium and renewable energy company Norsk Hydro as part of its plan to test plasma technology as a way to replace fossil fuel with renewable alternatives in its aluminum casthouses.

Last year, Norsk Hydro said it would test plasma technology in its test center in Sunndal, Norway. The facility, which also houses remelting, casthouse, and research and development activities, produces over 400,000 tonnes of primary aluminum, 500,000 tonnes of casthouse products, and 80,000 tonnes of anodes annually.

"We are exploring the application of renewable energy sources in production steps that traditionally rely on fossil fuels. Plasma technology offers a way to electrify casthouse operations using the same renewable energy that powers our primary smelters. If we succeed with the pilot project at Sunndal, it will not only impact our operations but also has the potential to bring change to the aluminium industry and other hard-to-abate sectors worldwide," says Per Eilert Vierli, senior vice president of Hydro Aluminium Metal.

Hydro intends to melt the first aluminum in the R&D casthouse at Sunndal by next year.