The European Union's proposed carbon tax is unlikely to have significant impact on domestic primary aluminium producers, as per the credit rating agency, ICRA. The CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism), a form of carbon tax acting as an import duty, is set to be implemented from January 1, 2026.

“Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) ruling on European Union (EU) export will have limited impact on the domestic primary aluminium producers as the present notification covers the financial impact w.e.f. January 1, 2026, on direct process related emission, while excluding the indirect emission that generates ~80% of the total emissions in the primary aluminium production process,” ICRA says in a report.

Indirect emissions mainly arise from generating electricity used in the smelting process thereafter.

In the financial year FY23, India exported approximately 0.7 metric million tonnes (mmt) (24% of total exports) of primary aluminium to European countries. However, unlike steel, the carbon tax is not anticipated to significantly affect the export competitiveness of domestic primary aluminium players. CBAM taxes are projected to range from $50-140 per metric tonne between 2026 and 2034, which translates to 2-6% of current aluminium prices, it states.

However, if indirect emissions are included in the future, the impact could be severe at $600- 700/MT (based on current carbon price), equivalent to 27-30% of current aluminium prices, due to domestic entities' heavy reliance on coal-fired power plants for electricity. The report notes that the inclusion of indirect emission is unlikely in CBAM until the electricity grid in the EU is entirely decarbonised.

To bring in a level playing field and avoid carbon leakage through imports, the European Union, being the second-largest global aluminium-consuming block, signed the CBAM regulations in May 2023, outlining tax imposition on embedded carbon imports from six sectors, including aluminium, steel, cement, hydrogen, electricity, and fertiliser.

coal-fired power plants

EU carbon tax to have minimal impact on domestic aluminium producers: ICRA