Norsk Hydro ASA's partly-owned Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil has recently experienced power outages resulting in disruption to production.
On May 18, 2013, Alunorte experienced a black-out in its electrical power supply system due to unexpected external events and as a consequence Alunorte suffered a partial electrical power outage.
On June 2, 2013, while in the process of stabilizing and resuming production, Alunorte experienced another, shorter black-out caused by an unrelated, external event.
The events have caused disruption to Alunorte's production of alumina. Alunorte has not been able to resume full production.
Alunorte production will be lower in the second quarter than levels observed in the first quarter, and expected to remain unsatisfactory also for the rest of the year. As a general measure, Hydro has established a team of experts aiming to stabilize and increase production at the refinery.
Alunorte has a nameplate capacity of 6.3 million tonnes and is the world's largest alumina refinery.
Published: June 12, 2013