Sustainability Examples

Söderberg Smelters
in Quebec

Issues: Well-being, Environmental Releases
Stakeholders: Employees, Communities, NGOs, governments
Region: Canada

In Canada, Söderberg technology is used in some of Alcan's older smelters. Following the Company's announcement in January 2004 to permanently close the last four Söderberg potlines at Arvida Works, only two smelters remain with this technology, namely the Beauharnois and Shawinigan smelters in Quebec.

The highest levels of PAH emissions occur when anodes are baked during the smelting of aluminum in pots using horizontal Söderberg studs. In the 1980s, Alcan initiated a modernization program of its Söderberg capacity in Quebec, which lead to the construction of pre-bake technology smelter facilities at Grande-Baie, Laterriere and Alma. With more stringent environmental regulations expected in the next years, all Söderberg potlines in Quebec may be eventually closed by 2015, although no decisions in this respect have yet been made.

The closure in early 2004 of the Arvida Söderberg lines brings a reduction of Alcan industrial activities in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. The Company put in place various immediate measures to limit the impacts, such as employee transfers to other facilities and pre-retirement offers. The strategy for industrial diversification in Quebec is also part of Alcan's initiatives to stimulate economic development in the context of reduced primary metal production.