Mar 8 2006
Alcoa has announced that construction on the expansion of its Alumar smelter in Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil, has been completed and start-up of full production has begun. The expansion will add 63,000 mtpy of aluminum, bringing total capacity there to 433,000 mtpy. Mr. Belda made the announcement during his presentation on Alcoa's global growth strategy at Citigroup's Annual Global Industrial Manufacturing Conference in New York today. During his presentation, Mr. Belda said that consumption of aluminum products, both upstream and downstream, is expected to double over the next 14 years due to evolving demographics around the world.
The expansion of the Alumar smelter took place in two stages: 48 of the new pots were put into operation in November 2005 and the start up of the remaining 52 pots began today and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. The total expected incremental production in 2006 is approximately 50,000 metric tons. When the current expansion is fully operational, Alcoa will increase its stake in the Sao Luis aluminum production operation to 60%, representing approximately 264,000 mtpy.
"Alumar is recognized worldwide as one of the world's largest industrial complexes for producing alumina and aluminum, and it is one of the most modern smelters in the Alcoa system. This project was completed within the original timetable and budget and most importantly it was completed safely," said Alcoa Chairman and CEO Alain Belda.
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