Baie-Comeau Smelter
Located on a rocky promontory overlooking the majestic St. Lawrence River, the Baie-Comeau Smelter has an annual production of 437,000 metric tons of aluminum. There are two parts to the plant: the Söderberg plant (with 542 electrolytic cells) and the prebaked anode plant (with 480 cells). Successively owned by the Canadian British Aluminum Company, the Reynolds Metals Company and then finally by Alcoa (since 2000), the plant was built and then expanded on four different occasions between 1957 and 1991. In addition, the Söderberg cells were upgraded in the early 1980s. The focused efforts of employees, supported by a range of highly efficient systems for processing emissions and wastewater, ensure that all environmental standards are met.
The smelter is Baie-Comeau’s biggest employer and it contributes over $255 million annually to the regional economy. The plant and its employees are highly involved in the community. Over the years, it has received the Émersionade Award for large industry from the Centre Émersion of Baie-Comeau, and the Equal Opportunity award from Employment and Immigration Canada in recognition of its program to integrate women in non-traditional jobs – a Québec first. It was also recognized within the St. Lawrence Action Plan for its efforts in industrial wastewater treatment. More recently, the Baie-Comeau Smelter received the Mérite Québecois de la sécurité civile for establishing an emergency readiness training program for all officials and volunteers in the Manicouagan Regional County Municipality. In addition it received the ICI ON RECYCLE! designation from Recyc-Québec.
Start-up: December 1957
Construction cost: $1.65 billion
Production: T-ingots, rolling ingots, billets, rod
Number of employees: 1,613
Production capacity: 437,000 MT / year
Port facilities: Owned by Alcoa
Certifications: ISO 9001:2000; ISO 14001:2004; and ISO 17025 (pending)
Economic spin-offs for Québec: $491 million invested in salaries, taxes and goods and services, including $255 million in the Baie-Comeau region
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