Venalum to restart idled aluminum capacity this summer

摘要

Venezuela’s CVG-Venalum aluminum smelter willnbegin to restart cells shut earlier this year afternJuly, a company spokesman said Thursday. “Thenindividual cells consume 0.76 MW, so with whatnthe government is giving us (10 MW), we are talk-ning about reincorporating some 13 cells in a firstnphase,” he said. Venezuelan President HugonChavez last week ended domestic residential elec-ntricity rationing and said he would grant Sidornsteelworks and the state aluminum sector anboost of 110 MW of generating capacity. InnJanuary, the Venezuelan government, reacting toncritically low water levels at the country’s principalnGuri Dam reservoir, ordered Venalum to reduce itsnenergy consumption by 300 MW and Alcasa by 58nMW. Venalum immediately closed 400 of its cells,nand since then the company said production hasndropped by about 12,970 mt per month.