Alcan signs Kitimat engineering deal with ABB

Alcan Inc. said on Thursday it has signed a deal with Switzerland's ABB Group  to design and engineer a high-voltage substation to provide power to its Kitimat aluminum smelter, part of a plan to expand the smelter's output by 60 percent.

Alcan, which is currently fighting off a $28.5 billion takeover bid from U.S. rival Alcoa Inc, plans to spend $1.8 billion expanding the smelter in British Columbia to bring its annual output to 400,000 tonnes per year.

Financial terms of the contract with ABB were not released.