Mozal

The Mozal aluminum smelter is an industrial plant for the smelting of aluminum in Mozambique. Built in 1998 plant produces 1.3 percent of global aluminum demand.

Location and Logistics

The premises in size from approximately 2,500 hectares located in Beluluane, 17 kilometers from the capital Maputo. About the port area in Matola alumina is supplied as a raw material for the production of aluminum and also exported.

History

The planning of the company began in May 1998 in London. The project called for the construction and operation of an aluminum smelter with a production volume of 250,000 tons and an extension option for a total of 506,000 tons. BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi were responsible for the project. In addition, the Mozambican government is involved as a minority shareholder in the company. The German Investment and Development Company is involved with two loans totaling about 30 million euro in financing.

In December 2000, the melt started its production. 2003, the 1 millionth tonne of aluminum was completed. On 20 August 2003 MOZAL II started production, so that the production volume could be doubled to more than 500,000 tons of aluminum per year. Mozal is with this capacity one of the larger aluminum producers in the world. In October 2007, the three millionth tonne of aluminum Mozal has already been produced.

In 2006 the company employed approximately 1,200 full-time employees.

Controversies

In 2010, the company has come under criticism because it months refrained from turning on filters to intercept highly toxic hydrogen fluoride, fluorinated hydrocarbons, dust and sulfuric acid, as the smoke treatment centers were in need of rehabilitation. The Minister of the Environment of Mozambique based its decision, in spite of a petition filed by 14,000 residents to approve the bypass filter systems, with the risk that the system and the chimney could collapse. Then the gas would spread near the ground, the Minister of the Environment.

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