Rio Tinto-backed aluminium firm to invest $1.1bn in Canada project
Aluminerie Alouette, an aluminium maker that’s partially owned by Rio Tinto, is planning to commit as much as C$1.5-billion ($1.1-billion) to modernising its facilities in northern Quebec, according to people familiar with the matter.
The company has secured a new electricity supply deal with Hydro-Quebec, the power utility owned by the Quebec government, the people said, speaking on condition they not be identified because the matter is still private.
A spokesperson for Aluminerie Alouette declined to comment on the details, but said an official announcement will come Friday.
The company’s investment will be welcome news for an industry that’s facing the pressures of US President Donald Trump’s trade war. The White House has put 50% tariffs on imports of foreign aluminium, a move that will hurt US businesses that use the metal. In one example, beer and alcohol maker Constellation Brands said Wednesday that it expects aluminium tariffs to cost the company about $20-million over the remainder of its fiscal year.
Canada is the largest exporter of the metal to the US, which doesn’t have enough aluminium smelting capacity meet its own needs.
“The United States needs Quebec to meet its demand, especially since we produce 70% of all aluminium in North America,” Quebec Economy Minister Christine Frechette said in a post on X Monday. “Our priority remains to protect our economy and our workers.”
Aluminerie Alouette is a consortium made up of Rio Tinto, which owns 40%, and other companies including AMAG Austria Metall and Norway’s Hydro Aluminium, according to the company’s website. Its smelter in Sept-Îles, Quebec, employs about 900 people and has annual capacity of 630 000 metric tons of primary aluminium.
Comments
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
M and J Mining are leading suppliers of physical support systems as used by the underground mining industry. Our selection of products are not...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Flatproofing tire technology engineered to perform in extreme mining environments.
VISIT SHOWROOM
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
