Qatalum curtailing aluminum production

Norsk Hydro ASA says it has begun a controlled shutdown of its Qatalum primary aluminum smelter March 3 that is expected to be completed by the end of the month. 

The decision to shut down operations was made after the company’s gas supplier, QatarEnergy, informed the company of a forthcoming suspension of its gas supply.

The aim of the controlled shutdown is to minimize the health, environment and safety risks related to the shutdown and prepare the plant for a future restart, Hydro says. A full restart could take six to 12 months, but it is not known when the plant could restart if fully closed.   

The implications for aluminum production at Qatalum, the 50/50 joint venture primary aluminum smelter owned by Hydro and Qatar Aluminium Manufacturing Co. Q.P.S.C. (QAMCO), initially were unclear following QatarEnergy’s production stoppage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and associated products following attacks by Iranian drones that led to a fire March 2 at roughly 2:30 p.m. Central European time (CET). The units are at the Ras Tanura oil refinery located near the country’s eastern region.

Hydro says it is informing customers, working to mitigate the consequences and evaluating alternative channels to fulfill contractual commitments, adding that the safety of the Qatalum employees remains the highest priority.

Based on the shutdown of aluminium production at Qatalum, Hydro has issued a force majeure notice to its Qatalum customers.

Qatalum, which is fully integrated with a smelter, casthouse, carbon plant and a dedicated gas-fired power plant, has nameplate capacity of 648,000 metric tons of primary aluminum and casthouse capacity of 687,000 metric tons. The plant supplies consumers in the Middle East, Asia and North America, Hydro says.