ALBRAS to Expand Aluminium Output to 480,000 t/y in 3 years

Japanese and Brazilian joint aluminium smelter, Alum?nio Brasileiro S.A. (ALBRAS) will expand the annual output capacity to 480,000 tonnes in 3 years. The firm will expand the capacity without additional facilities by improving the existing furnaces. The firm produced record 445,393 tonnes in 2005 and operates at full capacity. The firm will increase the output to 449,000 tonnes in 2006. The firm tries to expand the output gradually in accordance with the higher alumina output by Alumina do Norte do Brasil S.A. (ALUNORTE) to meet firm demand in China and other parts of the world. ALBRAS secured US$ 121.1 million of profit before foreign exchange impacts with around US$ 804.8 million of sales in 2005. The firm is planning to distribute the dividend in line with that for 2004.