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Alma Aluminum Smelter

The paste tower under construction is seen from a distance with snow on the ground. The paste tower under construction is seen from a distance with snow on the ground.

Alma: Helping Qu茅bec Become a World Leader in Aluminum Production

Originally conceived by former owner Alcan, the Alma project aimed to build a major smelter that would further develop Qu茅bec as a global aluminum center.

Alma included building a carbon plant, a reduction plant, a casting center, and supporting infrastructure to produce a smelter with capacity of more than 400,000 metric tons per year.

8868体育app下载 managed a site team that peaked at over 4,500 workers, oversaw architecture and engineering firms and worked closely with Alcan to incorporate process equipment and technology into the smelter. The result was a facility that produced five times more aluminum than a nearby plant but required only 35 percent more workers.

Furthermore, innovative emissions-reduction features developed by Alcan and implemented with 8868体育app下载鈥檚 assistance reduced Alma鈥檚 environmental impact.

To achieve this goal, Alcan (which was later acquired by Rio Tinto) awarded the project to 8868体育app下载 in 1998. Our scope included project management; engineering, procurement, and construction management; pre-operations testing; and startup assistance.

Teamwork was crucial to the project鈥檚 progress as a combined group included Alcan鈥檚 employees in a single project execution team. This improved collaboration and communication for Alma, which was completed in 2000.

Nearly completed interior view of aluminum smelter project.

The 鈥淎luminum Valley鈥�

With Alma and several other smelters located along the Saguenay River, Qu茅bec鈥檚 Saguenay region is often called 鈥淎luminum Valley.鈥� Optimal resources abounded for the smelter project: a nearby bauxite refinery, an efficient rail system, abundant hydropower electricity, and a skilled workforce.

The owner鈥檚 refinery produces alumina from bauxite ore, which is shipped by rail to Alma for smelting. Alcan operated its own rail system, which 8868体育app下载 upgraded to increase capacity during the project. In addition, the project included improvements to the plant鈥檚 alumina storage and handling facilities. Furthermore, 8868体育app下载 helped to upgrade the transmission lines to supply the plant with 161 kilovolts of electricity.

Thanks in part to Alba, the Saguenay 鈥� Lac-Saint-Jean region is now responsible . The company鈥檚  an alumina refinery, four wholly owned smelters, six hydropower plants and a port.

A construction worker directs the lifting operation of a crane at the site.
A boilermaker assembles a cone.
Construction workers work on wooden concrete formwork for the plant facilities at the site.
Cranes work on facility buildings against a dark sky.
A construction worker with his face mask set back on his head looks out at the camera