Russian Metal Giant Acquired Chinese Plant

Russian aluminum giant Rusal it had bought a Chinese plant to reduce dependence on outside suppliers of ore and products used in aluminum extraction.

?We intend to achieve complete self-sufficiency not just in [the supply of] bauxites and alumina, the main raw materials used in aluminum smelting, but also in products essential to the electrolysis process, such as cathodes, coke and carbon loam,? the agency quoted Valery Matviyenko, director of Rusal?s engineering and construction department, as saying.

The plant produces 15,000 metric tons of cathode blocks for alumina electrolysis, and will cover about 50% of Rusal?s cathode needs, Matviyenko said. He said it would protect the company against disruptions in the cathode supply and enable it to improve quality through direct technology control.

Rusal plans to invest $3 million in upgrading its new production unit and in construction of an additional furnace to increase output to 25,000 tons.