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rusal: interim result of production cuts
UC Rusal has announced interim results of
the production volume reduction programme
at its least efficient smelters. As of mid-October,
aluminium production has been mothballed
at the Volgograd (VgAZ), Urals (UAZ),
and Volkhov (VAZ) aluminium smelters, as
well as at the first phase of the Novokuznetsk
(NkAZ) smelter and at the Alscon smelter in
Nigeria. Furthermore, aluminium production
has been mothballed at the Bogoslovsk (BAZ)
potrooms 2-5 (potroom 1 was shut down in
2011) and at the Nadvoitsy (NAZ) potrooms
1-2 (potroom 3 was shut down in 2012). Output
reduction in 2013 at the above-mentioned
facilities will amount to 247,009 tonnes, and
will result in an output decrease of 516,062
tonnes in 2014.
Due to various measures taken by Rusal
such as amperage reduction, production
volume at the Sayanogorsk (SAZ), Irkutsk
(IrkAZ), Novokuznetsk (second phase) and
Khakass (KhaZ) aluminium smelters has decreased.
Output reduction in 2013 at these
smelters will amount to 77,724 tonnes with an
expected effect of 131,442 tonnes in 2014.
As a result of the output reduction programme,
Rusal has already cut aluminium
production by 324,733 tonnes, or 8% of 2012
production volume, with an effect of 647,504
tonnes, or 15% of 2012 production volume,
in 2014. These measures have allowed the
company to realise savings of USD40/t Al in
cash cost. “RUSAL continues to react to the
current market conditions and may consider
further actions to improve its cost position
in the industry,” said Vladislav Soloviev, the
company’s first deputy CEO.
Also, due to the prevailing market conditions,
investors of the BEMO project have
taken the decision to delay the start of the
commissioning of the Boguchansky smelter
until mid-2014.
rusal and VeB to develop new products
UC Rusal has signed a Memorandum of Intent
(MoI) with the State Corporation ‘Bank for
Development and Foreign Economic Affairs
(Vnesheconombank, VEB) to convert Rusal’s
loss-making smelters. Rusal and VEB intend
to work together to create production facilities
to produce automotive components made
of aluminium and its alloys as well as rolled
and cable products. The finished goods are
intended to be supplied to the Russian market.
For example, both Russian and foreign
carmakers, who have certain commitments to
increase the share of Russian-made parts used
by their facilities, will be among the potential
consumers of such components. As a party to
the agreement Rusal is ready to attract investors,
provide them with the existing industrial
infrastructure and ensure that aluminium is
supplied to production sites.
VEB in turn will consider its participation
in investment projects which have been proposed
by Rusal and that are in line with the
bank’s investment and financial policies. The
new facilities will be sited at the Bogoslovsk,
Urals, Nadvoitsy, Kandalaksha, Volkhov and
Volgograd aluminium smelters or at other
plants located in the respective federal subjects
of Russia.
Rusal has already started converting its
loss-making facilities with the signing of a
MoU with the Israeli company Omen High
Pressure Die Casting. This memorandum outlines
details of the creation of a joint venture
to produce automotive components. The joint
venture will be sited at the Volkhov aluminium
smelter.
Venezuela supports Alcasa smelter
on the move
Graeme Bottger has been named executive vicepresident
and president of Global Business Services
(GBS) of Alcoa. Assistant controller Robert
Collins will succeed Bottger as vice-president and
controller. Mark Davies, who has been president
of GBS since 2012, leaves the company.
Heinz Peter Schlüter has been elected the
new president of the German aluminium association
GDA.
Former Rio Tinto CEO Tom Albanese is
joining the Vedanta Group as chairman of subsidiary
Vedanta Resources Holding. In this role,
Albanese will be actively involved in continuing
to develop the company’s strategy, policies and
growth objectives.
The LME’s new CEO Garry Jones took on his
role on 30 September.
President Barack Obama has tapped Alcoa
chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld to join the
President’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership
Steering Committee 2.0. This is part of a
The Venezuelan government has injected
22m bolívares (USD3.49m) for equipment
and installation investments at Corporación
Venezolana de Guayana Alcasa (CVG Alcasa).
The state-owned producer intends to restart
230 pot cells to reach a total of 389 in operation
by 2014, and so to achieve a primary
aluminium output of 170,000 tpy. Alcasa was
heavily affected by an energy crisis in Venezuela
in 2010/11, which led the company to
shut down more than half of its then 600 cells
as part of a programme to save energy.
slovalco and se agree on power contract
Slovak aluminium producer Slovalco and the
country’s power utility Slovenske Elektrarne
(SE) have agreed on a new long-term power
supply contract. SE will supply a total of 19
TWh of electricity to Slovalco for a period of
eight years starting from January 2014 at discount
prices, which were not disclosed. Slovalco’s
current contract at fixed prices with SE
expires at the end of this year. The aluminium
producer has previously said that if it buys
electricity at market prices this would threaten
the viability of its operations.
Slovalco is majority owned by Norwegian
aluminium group Hydro, which holds a
55.3% stake, while Slovak company ZSNP
SCO holds the balance of 44.7%. Its aluminium
production plant in Ziar nad Hronom, central
Slovakia, employs about 3,000 people.
The Slovak government, which owns a
34% stake in SE is in the process of completing
several other steps in order to prevent a
closure of the aluminium smelter. It will pay
about half of the plant’s electricity transmission
charges, contributing €36m a year, but
continuing effort to maintain US leadership in
the emerging technologies that will create highquality
manufacturing jobs and enhance America’s
global competitiveness.
Rusal has appointed Evgeny Nikitin director
of the Aluminium Division East. Mr Nikitin has
been managing director of the Krasnoyarsk Aluminium
Smelter since 2010. Alexandra Buriko has
been appointed CFO. She is responsible for financial
planning, auditing, preparation of financial
reports and execution of the cmpany’s investment
programmes. Evgeny Kornilov’s term as Rusal’s
CFO has ended with the expiry of his contract.
Albrecht Neumann will assume the position
of CEO of the Sector-led Metals Technologies
business unit at Siemens. He will succeed Werner
Auer, who is leaving the company for personal
reasons. Until now, Mr Neumann has been the
CEO of Siemens Metals Technologies in the
United States, with responsibility for the North
American business of Metals Technologies.
64 ALUMINIUM · 11/2013