Alcoa tries to restore ABI smelter to normal output

Alcoa Inc. is working to restore normal operations at its ABI smelter in Becancour, Quebec, in an effort stymie the flow of off-grade aluminum from the plant.

"It is ongoing at this point," an Alcoa spokesman said of the company's attempt to resume normal operations at the 400,000-tonne-a-year facility. "We are coming back on track, but we are still working to get the production back completely to normal."

Production problems at Alcoa's majority owned ABI smelter have lasted months as a result of high iron levels in the pots, market sources told AMM. Pittsburgh based Alcoa owns 74.95 percent of the plant, while Rio Tinto Alcan, Montreal, owns the balance