alcoa to explore building angolan smelter

摘要

US aluminum producer Alcoa is exploring development of a nsmelter in Angola, the company said last week. Alcoa said it nhad signed a memorandum of understanding with the Angolan ngovernment to explore the possibility of building of a 750,000 nmt/year aluminum smelter in an unidentified part of the coun-ntry. The smelter would use power from hydroelectric facilities nthat the Angolan government is considering building. The MOU nhas a 12-month exclusivity clause to allow for negotiation of na power contract and cooperation agreement, the company nsaid. If the project moves forward, first metal from the smelter nwould be produced in 2020, it said. Under the agreement, bothnsides will carry out a series of feasibility studies to determine nthe viability of the project. Ken Wisnoski, president of Alcoa’s ngrowth group, said: “We believe the [Angolan] government’s nproposal to provide hydroelectric power offers great potential, nand we are pleased to have the opportunity to work together non feasibility studies.”