Rio: Laterriere Smelter Seen At 1/2 Capacity For 3-6 Months

7th Jul 2010 17:04

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Rio Tinto PLC's (RTP) Laterriere Works aluminum smelter in Quebec will operate at half its capacity for three to six months following a power failure, a company spokesman said Wednesday. Two of three electrical transformers feeding electricity to the Laterriere smelter failed Tuesday, and one of two smelting potlines had to be suspended. Laterriere's annualized capacity is 250,000 metric tons of aluminum metal. Rio is working to restore full power in coming weeks but a restart of aluminum smelting at the suspended potline will take months, spokesman Bryan Tucker told Dow Jones Newswires. "From the moment we can reestablish power to the [suspended aluminum potline] it will take three to six months to restore production to the line," he said. Tucker said the loss of electricity to the potline makes it technically difficult to resume full production quickly, as the smelting pots in the potline can harden. He added the power failure is the first of its kind at the Laterriere smelter. Other power outages in the past have been due to natural causes such as ice storms. -By Matthew Walls, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0)20 7842 9412; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 07, 2010 12:04 ET (16:04 GMT)