Rio Tinto invests $240M to upgrade aluminum smelter in Quebec

Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) is investing $240 million to increase the production capacity for low-carbon, high-value aluminum billets at its Alma smelter in Lac-Saint-Jean, Que., by 202,000 tonnes. The existing casting centre at Rio Tinto's Alma plant will be expanded to accommodate new state-of-the-art equipment, including a casting pit and furnaces, allowing a larger portion of the aluminum produced to be converted to higher value billets, primarily for the automotive and construction industries.

Construction will begin in May 2023, after completing detailed engineering and preliminary work, and commissioning is expected in the first quarter of 2025.

Sébastien Ross, managing director of Rio Tinto Aluminium's Atlantic operations, commented: “This expansion of our low-carbon aluminum billet production capacity in Quebec will allow us to better meet our customer’s growing demand for high-quality alloys and value-added products made with renewable hydroelectricity. This new capacity will help to strengthen the position of our Alma smelter and we are proud to work with our employees, clients, Quebec equipment manufacturers, and partners to bring this much anticipated project to fruition.”

The investment is expected to generate nearly $200 million in economic benefits for Quebec. The entire project will create around 40 new permanent jobs and help to support the 770 existing jobs at the Alma plant.

“In Quebec, we produce the greenest aluminum in the world," added Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec Minister of Economy and Innovation, and Regional Economic Development. "Modernization projects such as this one will enable us to maintain our leadership position in this area and contribute to the growth of this strategic sector. We have always said that the environment can and must serve the economy. The Rio Tinto project is a perfect example."

More on Rio Tinto's low-carbon aluminum project can be found at www.RioTinto.com.