Norsk Hydro Restarts No.3 Line in Sunndal

Norsk Hydro restarted No.3 line of aluminium smelting plant in Sunndal, Norway. Chief executive officer of the firm Svein Richard Brandtz?g said Japan Metal Bulletin. The firm plans to increase the operation to full capacity depending on the market condition. The firm’s other aluminium smelting, rolling and extruding plants keep almost full capacity operation including No.4 line of Sunndal plant, which has 300,000 tonnes annual capacity.

Norsk Hydro decided to restart No.3 line of Sunndal plant due to high primary aluminium price and firm demand. In July, the firm restarted a part of the line, which has 15,000 tonnes capacity of 100,000 tonnes annual capacity of the plant. However, Mr. Brandtz?g said the firm does not decide to increase the production of the line to full capacity operation due to uncertainty from financial instability in Europe and USA.

The firm’s aluminium rolling plants keep full capacity operation at annual 1 million tonnes level. Extruding plants’ production is high at 500,000 tonnes level while the demand slowed for mainly construction in South Europe.

Fifty-fifty primary aluminium plant with Qatal Petroleum, Qatalum increased the operation rate to 71% at the end of June. Mr. Brandtz?g sees the production would increase to full capacity operation by the end of September.

Chinese heat exchanger material maker, Hydro Aluminum (Suzhou) triples the production capacity to 3 times by increasing 2 rolling machines with about 4.4 billion yen in 2012.