NEW YORK, July 19 -- Alcoa Inc (AA.N: Quote) plans to return its 93,000 tonne-per-year aluminum smelter in Aviles, Spain, to full production by the fourth quarter, after it was idled due to heavy flooding in the region in mid-June.

"In the (second) quarter, production at our Aviles smelter was halted due to heavy flooding. We are in the process of restarting production and anticipate Aviles to be at full operating rate by the fourth quarter this year," Alcoa's Chief Financial Officer Chuck McLane said, speaking on the company's second-quarter conference call earlier this week.

Aviles was hit during the second week in June by torrential rains that flooded the entire Asturias region. Alcoa idled the plant after water damaged it along with the electrical substation that supplies power to the smelter.

The facility remained shut while the company cleaned up the mess and assessed damage, said the Pittsburgh-based aluminum giant. Aviles plant workers were able to safely raise anodes out of their pots, helping to lessen some of the flood's
impact.

But customers were notified at the time that Alcoa declared force majeure and that the floods affected shipments and deliveries. McLane did not discuss whether customer shipments were delayed or had been supplied from other plants.