UC RUSAL cuts output at Novokuznetsk smelter

YEKATERINBURG, Russia, April 9 (Reuters) - The world's top aluminium firm, Russia's United Company RUSAL, will cut output at its Novokuznetsk smelter from the middle of April by a third from 317,000 tonnes produced in 2008, RUSAL said on Thursday. "We have started switching off electrolysers at the plant's first unit, while the second unit operates as normal," spokeswoman Vera Kurochkina said. "The equipment is obsolete and dates back to 1943." RUSAL, hit by low metal prices and a fall in demand, said in March it planned to cut aluminium output at some of its plants by 0.5 million tonnes to 3.9 million tonnes and might consider cutting by another 0.5 million tonnes. [ID:nLP7750] Kurochkina did not provide a breakdown of other output cuts.