Rio Tinto Limited
(ASX:RIO) says it is ready for the first shipments of aluminium from its Kitimat smelter in Canada following an upgrade of the facility.
The modernisation of the smelter is expected to lift production capacity by nearly 50 per cent whilst making the smelter one of the most efficient, greenest and lowest cost smelters in the world.
The smelter is now completely powered by a wholly owned hydro facility and uses new technology to halve emissions. The smelters location on the west coast of Canada provides easy access to both the North American and Asia-Pacific markets.
Kitimat is now ramping up to full production.
Rio Tinto reported a net profit of $7.92 billion for the 2014 calendar year.
