Hydro’s joint venture company Qatalum has initiated a shutdown of its aluminium production.
This comes after the shortage of natural gas in Qatar as a result of Iranian attacks.
The controlled shutdown of the Qatalum smelter started on 3 March and is expected to be completed by the end of March.
The decision was made after the company’s gas supplier, QatarEnergy, informed it of a forthcoming suspension of its gas supply.
The aim of the controlled shut down is to minimise the health, environment and safety risks related to the shutdown and prepare the plant for a future restart.
A full restart could take six to 12 months, but it is not known when the plant can potentially restart if fully closed.
Hydro is working to mitigate the consequences and evaluating alternative channels to fulfil contractual commitments.
The safety of 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.
