UC Rusal has announced the launch of a new digestion train at the Urals Aluminium Smelter (UAZ). The total amount of investment in the project exceeded 1.1 billion rubles.

Upon commissioning the new digestion train that consists of 82 units, the refinery will expand alumina production by 130 thousand tonnes per year. Total annual output of UAZ will reach 900 thousand tonnes of alumina. New equipment will increase the safety and energy efficiency of the production process resulting in cost reductions of alumina.

The construction of the new digestion train lasted two years and became a major investment project within UAZ‘s refinery 1.5 billion rubles modernisation programme.

The opening ceremony of the new facility was attended by Vladislav Soloviev, CEO of RUSAL, Yakov Itskov, director of RUSAL’s alumina division, and Yevgeny Kuyvashev, governor of Sverdlovsk region.

“During the course of the modernisation of our production sites, we have introduced up-to-date technologies and equipment. It is important to notice that the commissioned digester primarily consists of equipment that has been designed and made in Russia and as such, surpasses its foreign counterparts”, Vladislav Soloviev, CEO of RUSAL commented.