Chongqing alumina refinery in China reopens
State media and a spokesman for the new plant operator said that as demand for aluminum raw materials in the country rises, an alumina refinery with a combined capacity of 800,000 tons per year in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing will resume operations in four and a half years.
The Nanchuan plant, where the Chinese aluminum corporation Chalco ceased operations in July 2014 due to low alumina prices, was relaunched by the Chongqing-based Bosai group on January 28, state newspaper Chongqing Daily and a Bosai spokesman said on Tuesday. /p>
Bosai has leased the facility from Chalco for 15 years, the official said, adding that the first refined alumina will roll off the production line next month.
A Chalco spokesman said he did not have full details of the arrangement.
Bosai spent about 250 million yuan ($ 36.89 million) on inspection and repair work prior to restarting the plant, the newspaper quoted the plant director Jiao Feng as saying.
As part of a deal struck between the two companies last June, Bosai also acquired the Chalco Nanchuan bauxite mine, which has 29.09 million tonnes of reserves, according to Chalco's latest annual report.