COMMERCIAL Big Comalco expansion

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33515, 22 April 1974, Page 10

COMMERCIAL Big Comalco expansion

INVERCARGILL April 19. \ contract for nearly s4m has been let to a New Zealand firm. Downer and Company. tor the main eixil work on the SSHm expansion of the Bluff aluminium smelter.

This was announced todax b> Comakro's construction manager on the Tiwai Point site iMr I Reidi. The contract involves laying foundations for two 1000 ft by 55ft buildings to form put-rooms for an additional 102 aluminium smelting pots, as well as the e’-ection of the building and the fixing of aluminium sheeting.

Il also includes the construction of a carbon-baking building, measuring 100 ft by 500 ft. and another casting shop. 100 ft by 550 ft. which will double the plant’s capacity for extrusion billet and rolling block aluminium. The alumina bulk storage building will be expanded to hold 75,000 tonnes. The expansion of the smelter is planned for com-

pletion in the first quarter of 1976. and annual production is expected to be 141,850 tonnes on completion. At its peak, expansion construction is expected to employ about 250 people. START SOON Mr Reid said that construction work should start "in the near future” after approval of a composite site agreement for all workers by the Wages Tribunal. The letting of the big civil contract came after other contracts, let about six weeks ago amounting to sl.3m. These were for the super-structures and shells of the 102 smelting pots.