Rusal pumps $82mn into smelter works

Russian aluminium producer Rusal will invest 5.2bn roubles ($82mn) into modernising the Sayanogorsk and Khakas aluminium smelters in the Republic of Khakassia in southern Siberia, the company said today.

The biggest projects from the investment will be a new system for cleaning crude aluminium at the Khakas smelter's casthouse and a large-scale upgrade of anode baking furnaces for electrode production at the Sayanogorsk smelter.

"The projects planned at the Sayanogorsk and Khakas aluminium smelters will enable these production facilities to retain their reputation as flagship aluminium production sites, thanks to the high-quality sustainable production and the competitiveness of their products," chief executive Evgenii Nikitin said in a statement.

The Sayanogorsk and Khakas smelters are powered by hydropower from the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station and thus produce ‘green aluminium' with a minimal environmental footprint. The smelters have a combined capacity of 595,000 t/yr.

Several companies, including Trafigura, recently have set up trading desks dedicated to ‘green' commodities, as the market anticipates a split between green aluminium and metal with a greater environmental footprint.

Rusal's planned modernisation works include replacing two transformers at a silicon rectifier substation to improve power supply reliability and completing the third stage of the red mud disposal area.

"The new facility will minimise the environmental impact and ensure more efficient operation of the fume treatment centres," Rusal said.