Winter Park, Florida 25/05/2016 - Primary aluminum production in Canada increased for the eleventh consecutive month in April, according to data provided by the Aluminium Association of Canada.
Production in April 2016 increased 1.3 percent to an annual rate of 3,243,431 tonnes, up 40,742 tonnes over the March 2016 rate of 3,202,689 tonnes. Compared to a year ago, production was up 14.1 percent over the April 2015 rate of 2,843,143 tonnes, the trade group said.
Through the first four months of 2016, production is up 12.5 percent over the same period in 2015, it added.
This is largely due to Rio Tinto restarting production in July at its Kitimat smelter after an expansion and modernisation programme. Aluminium capacity at the plant in British Columbia has risen 48 percent to 420,000 tonnes per year.