MONTREAL - Rio Tinto Alcan is in talks with the Algerian government about building an aluminum plant in the North African country.
Spokesman Stefano Bertolli confirms the Montreal-based division of Rio Tinto （NYSE:RTP） is examining “an opportunity to develop in Algeria,” but says the process is in the early stages.
He says new aluminum projects typically have an annual capacity of 460,000 tonnes, which can be doubled in a second phase.
The company is focused on low cost production and is mainly attracted to the Middle East by cheap natural gas prices.
It opened a 360,000 tonne smelter last year in Oman in which it has a 20 per cent stake.
Bertolli says the possible construction of a smelter in Algeria won't have any impact on the company's development plans in Quebec, notably an AP50 pilot project in Saguenay.
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