Rio Tinto is to add capacity at its AP60 aluminium smelter in Quebec, increasing output by 45% in the first major investment in Canada's smelting production hub in a decade, the company said.
The mining company plans to spend $87 million to increase its low-carbon aluminium production at the smelter by adding 16 new smelting cells, boosting annual production by 26,500 tonnes to 86,500 tonnes.The new pots will be built in the existing building of the Complexe Jonqui??re's AP60 technology center in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, which currently has 38 pots. Work will begin in the spring of 2022 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, the mining company said. At the same time, Rio Tinto will study the potential to add more AP60 cells at the same location, it added.Almost half of Rio Tinto's global aluminium business is located in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, with operations including an alumina...