UC Rusal 1H Aluminum Output Up 3.8% On Year

United Co. Rusal, the world’s largest aluminum producer, said its output of primary metal in the first half rose 3.8% to 2.038 million metric tons, helped by a number of investment projects at its various smelters. Output of bauxite ore fell 6.6% to 8.494 million tons while output of alumina rose 4.6% to 5.584 million tons. The company also said it raised production of value-added casthouse products 14% on year to 1.065 million tons. The company said it is now nearing completion of an upgrade at its Krasnoyarsk smelter, and has started a $400 million, fiveyear overhaul of its Bratsk smelter, the world’s largest, that is intended to increase annual production capacity by between 150,000 and 180,000 tons from the current level of around 930,000 tons. The company also said it expects to complete in the fourth quarter a modernization and expansion of its Irkutsk smelter, raising its annual capacity by 1.5 times to 450,000 tons.