With the improvement in the global aluminum market and prices, the American multinational Alcoa decided to resume primary aluminum production in Brazil. The company announced that the Alumar (smelter) plant, located in São Luís (MA), closed since 2015, will return to operation in April 2022. For this, the company will invest R$ 400 million. According to the president of Alcoa in Brazil, Otávio Carvalheira, the company will be able to produce 268,000 tons of primary metal on the site and the volume will be destined for the Brazilian market. “We are going to supply the country, our production will be sold to aluminum transformers. This is the initial planning. However, the unit is close to the port, which can benefit exports,” stated Cavalheiro. The company predicts that the new capacity will be reached by the last quarter of 2022. Alumar was previously able to produce up to 450,000 tons.
Sources: Valor Econômico/Datamar News