COMPANY SIGNS CONTRACT FOR A DETAILED FEASIBILITY STUDY AND
PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING WITH BECHTEL
KITIMAT, BC, July 13 /CNW Telbec/ - Alcan Inc. announced today that it
has signed a contract with Bechtel to produce a Detailed Feasibility Study and
Preliminary Engineering to confirm the cost estimate and overall project and
execution schedule of the planned expansion of Alcan's Kitimat smelter as
conditionally announced on August 14, 2006. Terms of the contract were not
disclosed.
Michel Jacques, President and CEO, Alcan Primary Metal Group, stated:
"Alcan is pleased to announce the signing of this contract as it is a further
demonstration of Alcan's commitment to the Kitimat Works Modernization Project
and to the Northwest Region of British Columbia."
The contract with Bechtel aims to provide all the planning, engineering
and site investigation work necessary to submit to the Alcan Board of
Directors for final approval of the project. The project is also subject to
certain conditions including environmental permits and the successful
conclusion of agreements with B.C. Hydro and the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW)
union. Alcan reached an agreement with CAW in May 2007 and is currently
working to satisfy the other two conditions.
The scope of Bechtel's work includes the tendering process of long-lead
purchases for the planned smelter, such as busbar, cathode shells, potroom
cranes and pot gas scrubbing systems. Bechtel's work will also take the
engineering and process design that has been developed for the Kitimat
smelter, which will be equipped with leading-edge AP3X technology, and will
incorporate all local building codes and site conditions necessary to move to
the execution phase of the Project.
The announcement of the contract was made in Kitimat, where Jean Simon,
President for Alcan Primary Metal North America, stated: "This contract
underscores Alcan's confidence in the value and business case underlying the
Kitimat Works Modernization Project. We are pleased to make further inroads
towards the completion of the project's conditions."
The modernization of Alcan's Kitimat smelter would increase Alcan's
annual global primary aluminum production by more than four percent and make
Kitimat not only one of Alcan's largest wholly-owned smelters, but also one of
the three largest in North America. Kitimat's aluminum production capacity
would increase by 40 percent and reduce GHG emissions by half a million tonnes
per year.
Alcan Inc. (NYSE, TSX: AL) is a leading global materials company,
delivering high quality products, engineered solutions and services worldwide.
With world-class technology and operations in bauxite mining, alumina
processing, primary metal smelting, power generation, aluminum fabrication,
engineered solutions as well as flexible and specialty packaging today's Alcan
is well positioned to meet and exceed its customers' needs. Alcan is
represented by 68,000 employees, including its joint-ventures, in 61 countries
and regions, posted revenues of US$23.6 billion in 2006. The Company has
featured on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information,
please visit: www.alcan.com.
Statements made in this press release which describe the Company's
intentions, expectations or predictions may be forward-looking statements
within the meaning of securities laws. By their nature, forward-looking
statements involve risk and uncertainty; the Company's actual results or
actions could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such
forward-looking statements. Reference should be made to the Company's latest
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a summary of factors that could cause such
differences.
%B NM %C 1,3,17 %D Alcan and Bechtel Kitimat
For further information: Media Contact: Colleen Nyce, (250) 639-8760,
colleen.nyce@alcan.com; Anik
Michaud, (514) 848-8151,
media.relations@alcan.com;
Investor Contact: Ulf Quellmann, (514) 848-8368,
investor.relations@alcan.com
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