Just aluminum smelting all moving to China probably reduced UK energy consumption by a few percent.

Rabbit hole on this subject: https://aluminiumtoday.com/features/recognising-uk-aluminium...

We import very little Al from China; it turns out mostly to come from the UAE, which will have absolutely terrible CO2 emissions, as well as greener countries like Iceland and Norway.

It looks like we need to invest in local recycling (which, yes, needs cheap energy, but not as much as primary Al) in order to make more of a circular economy rather than just exporting vast volumes of scrap.

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arethuza 18 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Still one aluminium smelter in Scotland:

https://alvancebritishaluminium.com/

Which has it's own hydroelectric scheme:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lochaber_hydroelectric_scheme

	▲	leonidasrup 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Aluminum smelters have so high electric consumption that you usually build then near the cheapest reliable sources of electricity. Cost of electricity is a very significant part of production costs of aluminum, around 30% on average. https://www.aluminium.fr/en/energie

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chii a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

which is why i think looking at raw electricity usage doesnt make much sense in a globalized world.

Consumption of final products, and exports are what make more sense to look at to see if lives are better today than the 1970's, which the article implies it isn't.

	▲	gargan 18 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It makes sense to look at electricity usage. It tells the full story of the UK’s deindustrialisation policy starting under Thatcher and continuing under all governments, and recently under Theresa May’s net zero policies (also supported by all governments). There’s no reason aluminium smelting can’t come back to the UK with a proper energy policy of expanded nuclear power, more fracking, more renewables etc

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nl 18 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

This and the loss of steel smelters in the 1980s is the real answer here.

	▲	youngtaff 17 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Steel smelters used coking coal not electricity There are still electric arc furnaces in the UK and more are being built