Rio Tinto Alcan: Plan To Expand Production Capacity At Kitimat By 40%

SINGAPORE, Aug. 5 -- Rio Tinto PLC (RTP) said Thursday that it is closing two pot lines representing 67,000 metric tons of capacity at its Kitimat, British Columbia, aluminum smelter as part of a modernization plan that will see output expand by 40% to 400,000 tons a year.

"The modernisation of our Kitimat smelter remains a strategic priority for Rio Tinto Alcan," Jacynthe Cote, chief executive of Rio Tinto Alcan, said in a Rio Tinto statement.

The modernization "will transform our smelter into a top tier, low-cost, large-scale, and low-carbon asset," Cote added.

The dismantlement of the two pot lines will make room for two new buildings, the company said.