UK Aluminium Industry

This article is part of the Climate project of Spinwatch.

The UK Aluminium industry has been declining in recent years, mainly due to outsourcing of aluminium production to countries with cheaper energy and labour sectors. There are currently 2 primary aluminium smelters both owned by Rio Tinto Alcan (formerly Alcan) and a number of secondary smelters and manufacturers.

Primary Smelters

• Lochaber smelter, Fort William, Scotland. Rio Tinto Alcan. Capacity 43,000 tonnes per annum.
• Lynemouth smelter, Northumberland. Rio Tinto Alcan Capacity 178,000 tonnes per annum.

• Anglesey Aluminium smelter, Angelsey, Wales (Rio Tinto Alcan and Kaiser Aluminium). Shut on 30th September 2009 due to power shortage and economic reasons.