BHP Billiton Says Production Begins at Alumar Expansion

July 9 (Bloomberg) -- BHP Billiton Ltd. said it had begun first production from the the expansion of the Alumar alumina refinery in Brazil. The project, which involved upgrading the existing plant to eliminate bottlenecks and adding an extra line, is now more than 98 percent complete, it said in an e- mailed statement today. Full mechanical completion is expected in September and the final ramp-up to full production will by the second half of the year, it said. To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Scott in Perth at jscott14@bloomberg.net