AMAG Austria Metall observes the 30th anniversary of shareholding in Aluminerie Alouette

The largest company in the Austrian aluminium industry sector, AMAG Austria Metall AG, celebrated 30 years of ownership in Aluminerie Alouette. By safeguarding its primary source of aluminium input material for 30 years, AMAG held a 20% stake in Aluminerie Alouette in Canada.

A worldwide renowned producer of the cast and rolled aluminium products, AMAG Austria Metall AG, is dedicated to "sustainability" and "innovation." When it was opened in 1939 as an aluminium smelter to guarantee the supply of raw materials for the German market, this development was anything but self-evident. For 30 years, the primary metal production of AMAG does not occur at the Ranshofen site but at the Aluminerie Alouette in Québec, Canada. This is when Austria Metall AG (AMAG) first adopted its current name and became a global aluminium corporation concentrating on metal processing rather than primary aluminium manufacturing.

Together with six other businesses, the decision was made to develop an aluminium electrolysis facility at Sept-Îles, Québec. The Alouette was completed in three years and produced its first tonne of aluminium in 1992. Aluminerie Alouette has grown to become the most crucial primary aluminium producer in the Americas through investments and expansions. A joint cooperation structure is used for the Alouette. The owners independently supply alumina to Alouette and ensure that the electricity needed for electrolysis is available at competitive prices.

Currently, Aluminerie Alouette employs 950 people and generates 630,000 tonnes of so-called sows of aluminium annually.

Wolfgang Etl-Oberauer, the Chairman of the Owner's Committee of Aluminerie Alouette, said, "The decision to secure AMAG's primary material supply by acquiring a stake in Aluminerie Alouette was one of the most pioneering in the company's history, as Alouette has for years ranked among the most cost-efficient smelters in the world, and as such, forms a financial anchor of stability for the AMAG Group."

“Aluminerie Alouette and the entire aluminium industry will face significant challenges in the coming years. The decarbonization of aluminium, which will take place at Alouette by 2050, is critical for the entire sector and will necessitate major technological transformations and working methods.”