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PROCESSES
- Agglomeration
-
Coking
- Blast
Furnace
- Direct Reduction
- Basic Oxygen Furnace
- Electric Arc Furnace
- Heat Treating
- Ladle Metallurgy
- Continuous Casting
- Ingot Casting
- Ladle Preheating
- Secondary Finishing
- Surface
Coating
PROCESSES
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Environmental
Issues
International
Competition
Major
Products and Markets
Regulations
and NOx Control
Summary
Trends
/ Major Products
Trends
/ Employment and Productivity
Trends
/ Energy Consumption by Fuel
Trends
/ Primary Aluminum Production
Trends
/ Total Supply of Aluminum
Trends
/ World Aluminum Output
Trends
/ Distribution of Power Plants
Trends
/ Distribution of Processing Plants
Primary aluminum smelting is an electricity intensive process. As a result,
primary smelters are located in regions with low-cost hydroelectric electric
power (i.e., BPA*, TVA*, and Upstate New York). Secondary smelting plants
can use either electricity or, more commonly, natural gas for remelting
of aluminum scrap. These plants are typically located near large end-use
markets and/or sources of scrap.
*BPA = Bonneville Power Administration
*TVA = Tennessee Valley Administration
Canadian Primary Production
There are four primary aluminum producers in Canada operating eleven mills. Alcan, the largest producer, operates seven mills. The other four companies each operate a single mill. All but one of the mills is located in Quebec; the only smelter outside Quebec is in British Columbia. Canadian production capacity is about 2.3 million metric tons per year - a little over half the U.S. Primary production capacity.
Aluminum Statistical Review for 1993, Aluminum Association, p. 27