Pittsburgh aluminium pioneer Alcoa Corporation announced this week a plan to invest US$51 million at its Mosjøen aluminium smelter in Norway that will boost production capacity at the plant by 14 thousand metric tons per annum.
Alcoa says the improvements to boost capacity at the plant, which currently has a nameplate capacity of 200 thousand metric tons per annum, should be completed in four years. Improvements to the plant include boosting amperage by improving the electrical infrastructure and updating the anode production process on site.
John Slaven, Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, said in a press release that this is part of the company’s overall strategy of keeping its aluminium smelters up to date.
“We continue to build on our positive history of increasing the capabilities and output of our existing assets through process improvements and capital investments. Mosjøen is already a top-performing asset in Alcoa’s global system, and this investment reflects its operational excellence, the dedication of our employees, and the strong support from our many customers and community stakeholders.”
In addition to the above capital expenditure, Alcoa also recently inaugurated a new induction furnace at Mosjøen that uses renewable energy to melt and recycle scrap aluminium. To date, Alcoa has invested US$50 million in operations at Mosjøen.
The Mosjøen aluminium smelter is one of the Alcoa plants that produces Sustana aluminium, which is the company’s brand of low-carbon aluminium. The plant is powered entirely by renewable resources and produces rolling ingot and foundry alloy.
Among the Sustana line of low-carbon aluminium is EcoLum, which is produced with less than 4.0 metric tons of CO2 per metric ton of aluminium. Also produced at the plant is EcoDura, which is at least half derived from recycled aluminium.