Mon, 31 Oct 2011 | DIVISION SALE
Global mining giant Rio Tinto is readying to sell its aluminium smelting plant Alcan in Lynemouth, Northumberland, and is prepared to close it down if it is not sold.
John McCabe from Alcan explained the reasons for the move, “Rio Tinto is streamlining its global aluminium business in order to focus on its top assets globally, unfortunately Lynemouth isn’t considered to be one of them as it does not return 40 per cent rate of return for the business.”
“Lynemouth is efficient but it is a high-cost operation; that’s largely due to the cost of producing energy in the UK," Mr McCabe went on to say.
If the business does have to be shut down, Mr McCabe said that Alcan would do what it could to help minimise the impact on the 630 staff and local community.
GMB Regional Secretary, Tom Brennan, has requested that Rio Tinto rethink its decision to sell or close down the Alcan plant. He asked that, in light of the news of buyer interest in the power station, it should not be separated from the smelter.
“You could understand [the power station] being very useful in terms of a contribution to the National Grid, but by dong that it cuts off the lifeline to the Alcan smelter,” said Mr Brennan.
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