The multinational is currently studying various investment projects, he indicated during the question period on Tuesday, while Rio Tinto announced in the middle of the month that it was suspending its project to add 16 new AP60 tanks to the Jonquière Complex.
Rio Tinto had then mentioned in an internal note wanting to push back the schedule of the project announced in November in order to study the potential addition of other tanks.
The addition of AP60 tanks to the Jonquière Complex would rather be reassessed by Rio Tinto, argued Minister Fitzgibbon, who mentioned returning from a trip outside the country where he met the president of the Anglo-Australian mining giant.
He [Rio Tinto] could, as he knows very well, increase the famous AP60 tanks. But at the same time, he sees that maybe there is a better technology to be more carbon neutral because Rio Tinto, like Alcoa, are committed to becoming carbon neutral in an environment, in Quebec, which is very conducive
he replied, when questioned by the member for Jonquière Sylvain Gaudreault, following the exit of former executives of Alcan who believe that Rio Tinto does not respect its commitments.
” So, currently, the analysis that is being done is to see, are we doing x AP60 or are we waiting to do Elisys, which is going to be a project that is going to be about 1 billion per smelter. »
Several voices have been raised in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean since the departure of the former executives, in order to demand major investments from Rio Tinto in return for the hydroelectric advantages enjoyed by the company, while the environmental authorization certificate for the tanks Arvida’s precooked products expire in 2025.
MP Sylvain Gaudreault, for his part, lamented on Tuesday during the question period thata foreign company appropriates our renewable natural resource while keeping the benefits for Quebec to a minimum, for the great benefit of its shareholders alone.
MNA for Jonquière, Sylvain Gaudreault
Photo: Radio-Canada
When the addition of 16 AP60 cells was announced in November, Sébastien Ross, executive director of Atlantic operations at Rio Tinto Aluminium, argued that all scenarios could be envisaged for the smelter, without however mentioning a possible suspension of the AP60 project.
Rio Tinto and Alcoa founded joint venture Elysis in 2018, with support from Quebec and Ottawa. The company then announced that it wanted to market the carbon-free aluminum manufacturing process in 2024.
Rio Tinto announced earlier in May that it was suspending its plan to add 16 new AP60 tanks to the Jonquière complex.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Titouan Bussiere
Higher hydropower needs
Minister Fitzgibbon said Rio Tinto’s work on this file is very rigorous
and that Quebec was working with the multinational to maximize hydropower needs
.
There will probably be shortages of hydroelectricity for the Elisys project
he added.
The multinational’s hydroelectric supply was also at the heart of discussions between Minister Fitzgibbon and the company.
” We are currently negotiating the technicality of the hydroelectric supply, which is a big need. I am very confident that aluminum in Quebec will continue to prosper and that we will probably once again be the first, the first jurisdiction in the world that will be able to offer green aluminum, and we should be very proud of that. . »
He assured that Rio Tinto and Alcoa are committed, are committed to ensuring that Quebec receives the fruits of major investments
.
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean is home to the Elysis Research and Development Center at the Jonquière Complex, and the Alma plant was chosen for the construction of the prototype Elysis tanks. The location of the future manufacturing plant for the inert anodes, on which the carbon-free technology is based, is not yet known.
With information from Gilles Munger and Michel Gaudreau
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca