Background The manufacturing of non-ferrous metals – such as aluminium (Al) - is an important part of the European industrial value chain. Current production of extruded Al in Europe is about 3 Mt/year. About one third of this production capacity is established in Italy, which is – after Germany – the second largest European market of extruded Al products. However, Al production also poses important environmental concerns around high energy consumption, GHG emissions and climate change effects. The Al industry in Europe has an overall energy consumption of 1 150 GWh/year and produces approximately 0.6 Mt/year of CO2 emissions. It is constantly searching for ways to increase its energy efficiency. Productivity, quality and energy consumption in Al extrusion strongly depend on metal heating techniques. Conventional gas heating and alternating current (AC) induction heating systems have been the reference standards. New generation gas burners are providing more energy efficient alternatives through the recovery of enthalpy heat of the fumes. However this tends to create increased emissions of nitrogen oxides that can cancel out the reductions in CO2 emissions from the energy savings. Objectives The MAGNHEAT-LIFE project aims to demonstrate the first full-scale industrial application of a novel concept of DC (Direct Current) induction heating furnace for Al extrusion. The project hopes this innovative technique could be shown to be a potential Best Available Technique (BAT) for the updating of the BREF documents for the non-ferrous metal sector. The project will design, build and test an industrial-scale prototype of a direct current induction heating system using rotating permanent magnets. It expects to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the new application, delivering significant reductions in the time needed for metal extrusion and a particularly high degree of control of temperature distribution in the process. By reducing the time taken and enabling customisation of the billet heating - depending on the specific application or material needed - the prototype should provide increased efficiency of production and significant reductions in energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions. The project will conduct environmental-impact and thermo-economic assessments to prove its environmental and economic benefits. At a wider scale, the project hopes to contribute to the strengthening of environmental policy and legislation on Italian industry and support the implementation of the National Energy Strategy (SEN, 3/2013). It also hopes to support industrial energy efficiency efforts across the EU and the achievement of the EU energy efficiency objectives. Expected results: A technically feasible DC induction heating furnace with expected power of 700-1 000 kW and 5-10 t/hour of Al billets heating capacity (industrial scale); Improved technical performance compared to AC induction or gas ovens, particularly: o increased flexibility in operational parameters; o reduction of up to 30% in the time needed for metal extrusion; Energy savings of 50% compared to the current new generation gas burners with classical AC induction taping; Reduction by 50% of associated CO2 and other air pollutant emissions; Relatively low investment costs – economic feasibility; Potential long-term inclusion as a BAT in the updated BREF for the non-ferrous metal sector; and Contribute to national and European industrial energy efficiency efforts.