India's aluminum industry: Productivity, energy efficiency and carbon emissions

Technical Report · Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/753017· OSTI ID:753017

Schumacher, Katja ^[1]; Sathaye, Jayant

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1. LBNL Library

Historical estimates of productivity growth in India's aluminum sector vary from indicating an improvement to a decline in the sector's productivity. The variance may be traced to the time period of study, source of data for analysis, and type of indices and econometric specifications used for reporting productivity growth. An analysis shows that in the twenty year period, 1973 to 1993, productivity in the aluminum sector declined slightly by 0.2%. An econometric analysis reveals that technical progress in India's aluminum sector has been biased towards the use of energy, while it has been labor saving. The decline in productivity was mainly driven by a decline in the 1970s when capacity utilization was low and the energy crisis hit India and the world. From the early 1980s on productivity recuperated. The authors examine the current changes in structure and energy efficiency in the sector. Their analysis shows that the Indian aluminum sector has high potential to move towards world-best technology, which will result in fewer carbon emissions and more efficient energy use. Substantial energy savings and carbon reduction options exist.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (US) (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Director, Office of Science. Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Environmental Sciences Division (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 753017
• Report Number(s): LBNL--41845
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
ALUMINIUM
AUGMENTATION
CARBON DIOXIDE
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC POLICY
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
INDIA
METAL INDUSTRY
POLICY ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDUSTRY ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS
PRODUCTIVITY
TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS