the russians are coming.

Russian aluminium plant for Queensland
September 29, 2006 10:15pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse

RUSSIAN aluminum giant Rusal will build an electricity power station and aluminum plant in Queensland at an estimated cost of $US3.5 billion ($4.7bn), Russian daily Gazeta reported today.

The station could generate 500 to 1100 MW of electricity, which would power the plant to produce up to 690,000 tonnes of primary aluminum, the daily quoted Antanta Capital metals analyst Vladimir Popov as saying.

This would increase Rusal's current primary aluminum production by 25 per cent, Mr Popov said.

The project would take advantage of Australia's position as the world's largest producer of bauxite, the main component in aluminum.

Rusal is the largest producer of aluminum in Russia and the second-largest in the world, after US Alcoa.

Rusal had revenues of $US6.65bn in 2005, and employs about 50,000 people in Russia and 13 other countries.