The Aluminerie Alouette Smelter: Phase II The Start-up Is Set to Proceed: as planned
2005-01-14
The Aluminerie Alouette embarks upon the vast start-up of its expansion project Phase II in the two new potrooms (C and D), each one housing 156 cells and measuring 1 km in length. The metal produced will be cast in the shape of low profile sows, a new industry norm. This start-up activities will be spread over the next months.
On Route to the Final Destination
The $1.4 billion investment, of which more than $1 billion was spent in the Province of Quebec, will enable the Aluminerie Alouette to become, as of 2006, the biggest aluminum smelter in the Americas. In order to accomplish this, equipment using cutting edge technology has been installed in the new buildings, while certain facilities that were part of the initial phase underwent modifications and improvements. The addition of 330 new reduction cells, including 18 test-cells, will significantly increase the smelter’s annual production, which will jump from 245,000 to 550,000 tons of aluminum. At the end of the work in Phase II, one single huge plant will be in operation. Year after year, economic spinoffs of nearly $400 million will be enriching the Quebec economy.
A Three-Step Start-up Process
The start-up of a cell can be divided into three principal stages: the preparation; the preheating; and, the start-up. Typically, the preheating and start-up operations take some 72 hours and proceed continuously. The projected start-up rate will be from 1 to 2 cells per day, 7 days a week and this, non-stop until the last cell is up and running.
While undertaking the start-up of the cells at one end of the potroom, construction workers will still be busy working at the other end. Indeed, even now, nearly 1,000 workers are still working on the work site. The progressive start-up of the cells in the new C and D potrooms is thus under way and will be spread out over a six to eight month period.
“The start-up of the new cells is a crucial stage and the beginning of a big year for all the employees in the aluminum smelter. Aluminerie Alouette is a worldwide leader in the industry and plans to remain so. Every week, we welcome visitors from all around the world who are interested in taking note of our achievements and learning about our expertise. Alouette Phase II is a project of which all Quebeckers can rightfully be proud,” proclaims Joe H. Lombard, President and CEO.
Decisive Steps Taken Towards the “New” Alouette
Commissioned to undertake the construction work, the SNC-Lavalin/Hatch consortium has delivered buildings and equipment to date that have enabled the aluminum smelter to clear several significant hurdles leading to the “new” Alouette. It is noteworthy moreover to draw attention to the exceptional record in terms of health and safety on this project, with a lost time frequency rate of 0.28 for the over 5 million man-hours worked. This represents a record to date in the Quebec construction industry.