Stop of Primary Aluminum Production
Norsk Hydro’s majority-owned Slovalco aluminum facility in Slovakia has decided to close the primary aluminum production at the plant in September this year.
The international active industrial company headquartered in Norway was reporting that Slovalco’s decision came in response to adverse framework conditions and high electricity prices, “which show no signs of improvement in the short term”. The casthouse in Slovalco would continue its recycling operation, “serving customers in the region with 75,000 tons of recycled aluminum annually”.
The decision to close primary production would affect 300 of Slovalco’s full-time employees, in addition to a reduced need for services from contractors and suppliers in the region, Norsk Hydro informed. A process had started to assist affected employees. Slovalco is a fully consolidated aluminum smelter in Hydro, owned 55.3 percent by the Norwegian-based firm and 44.7 percent by Penta Investments Group. Before closing the primary aluminum production, the Slovakian company had an annual production capacity of 175,000 tons of primary aluminum and a casthouse capacity of approximately 250,000 tons.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2022, Page 34, Photo: Panizzolo)
