Alma Aluminum Smelter

Alcan is one of the largest primary aluminum producers in the world. It owns and operates 13 primary aluminum smelters with a total capacity of over 1,500 kt/y (thousand tonnes per year) including over 1,100 kt/y in Canada. In February 1998, Alcan announced its decision to build a 375-kt/y smelter in Alma, Quebec. Full production at the Alma smelter will be reached by 2002 and the 75-kt/y Isle-Maligne smelter will, by then, have been shut down. Alcan's related companies operate four other smelters outside Canada with a total rated capacity of 137 kt/y. In addition, an Alcan subsidiary in Norway and a related company in Japan each operate a super-purity aluminum refinery.

Computer-Generated Image of the Alma Smelter

Alma Smelter Facts:
Location: The site is situated on 95 hectares, 2.5 km west of the existing Isle-Maligne smelter.
Capacity: An annual capacity of 375,000 tonnes (metric tons) of primary aluminum produced with 620 MW of hydroelectric power.
Cost: Construction costs will be approximately US$1.6 billion (C$2.2 billion), including related infrastructure.
Technology: Pechiney AP-30 pre-baked anodes with dry scrubbers. The plant will have 432 pots (reduction cells) in two lines.
Facilities: The plant will have a power sub-station, raw material unloading and storage facilities, pot relining shop, anode plant, casting centre, molten metal shipping centre, a closed-loop water process and environmental protection and control equipment.
Employees: During construction, employment levels will reach 2,000. Once commissioned, the smelter will employ about 675 workers, 425 of whom will come from the Isle-Maligne smelter.
Implementation: Site preparation got under way on March 10, 1998, and the construction work will take approximately 40 months. The facility should start producing metal in the fall of 2000, with full production being reached in 2002.

Flow-Sheet: The flow-sheet for Aluminum Production is also available, along with descriptions of each stage of production. In addition, some information about aluminum is online, including advantages and end uses.

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