Alumina producer stops production in Romania amid high cost of energy

The alumina factory Alum Tulcea (BVB: BBGA), controlled indirectly by Vimetco through the aluminium producer Alro Slatina, will stop its production activity from August 1 "due to the surge of the price of electricity and natural gas." This made it much cheaper to import alumina, according to company documents quoted by Profit.ro.

The leader of the trade union from Alum told Tulcea Noastra that, out of the total of over 700 employees of the factory, only 259 would be kept.

According to the quoted source, Alro and Alum will bring imported alumina through the port of Constanța.

"Under the new conditions of activity at Alum, the organizational chart of the company was revised, taking into account the maintenance of a core of specialists from all departments of the plant, needed to prepare the resumption of the production activity once the situation returns to normal," the company's documents read.

Alum Tulcea is the only producer of calcined alumina in Romania, used to obtain aluminium. The plant has a production capacity of 600,000 tons per year. The alumina produced is delivered to Alro Slatina and a small quantity for export.

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