World's biggest smelter starts ops ahead of schedule

Emirates Aluminium Co. Ltd., the joint venture that is building the world’s biggest smelter of aluminium, has started production five months ahead of schedule, CEO Duncan Hedditch said. Emal, as the venture is also called, has started production on the first of 756 so-called ‘pots', Hedditch said in an interview. The plant in Abu Dhabi is building up to an initial capacity of 700,000 metric tons a year in its first phase, a process that will be completed by the end of 2010, he said. Speaking via telephone, Hedditch said: “We are happy to run well ahead of plan and everything is well controlled and within budget.”