Alcan Inc. says it may sell its 85-per-cent stake in a Dutch...

Alcan Inc. says it may sell its 85-per-cent stake in a Dutch smelter after two years of negotiations failed to result in cheaper supplies of electricity. The Pechiney Nederland unit will conduct a "strategic review," including the potential sale of the Vlissingen aluminum smelter, Alcan said yesterday. Vlissingen employs about 700 people and can produce 200,000 tonnes annually. Electricity can account for a third of production costs at aluminum smelters, and Alcan has failed to reduce those expenses after talks with a group that includes the Dutch government and power suppliers. "At the energy price levels currently being proposed by the consortium, the future of the Vlissingen smelter within Alcan is no longer guaranteed,"



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