Norwegian aluminum producer Norsk Hydro has restarted 100 of the 200 electrolytic cells at its B-line in the Husnes plant.
The company started resuming production on this line, which was idled a decade back due to a slump in the financial market, in late November 2020. With half of the cells restarted, Hydro has added 50,000mt of capacity to the plant. Johan Berg, plant manager at Hydro Husnes, said that the company plans to reinstate the remaining 100 cells by late June.
Hydro is spending around NOK1.5bn ($177mn) to double production to around 195,000mt of aluminum annually with both lines fully functional. The A-line currently produces 95,000mt per year. The company recently sold its aluminum rolling business to a private equity firm for $1.64bn. It plans to focus entirely on its low-carbon aluminum products in the long term.
($1 = NOK8.48)