Aluminium Smelter Capacity Reduced For Three Months

by Nigel
(UK)

The Rio Tinto owned (51%) aluminium smelter at Holyhead on Anglesey will be operating at reduced capacity for about three months following a recent fire at the plant.

Anglesey Aluminium is currently carrying out investigations into the cause of the fire which damaged one of its transformers on the site.

There are two potlines at the smelter and one has been shut down, according to a Rio Tinto spokesman, while the other operates at one third its capacity.

The reduced output is for operational and safety reasons but the company hopes to be operating again at full capacity within three months or so.

As one of the largest suppliers of aluminiuum metal in the UK, Anglesey Aluminium has an annual production of about 145,000 metric tonnes.