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"We have something to strive for"
 KEY PERSONS: Evgeni Chuvasho (right) and Alexander Golov lead the work on upgrading the casthouse at the aluminium plant in Sayanogorsk. (Photo: Dag Sunnanå) |
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(Nov. 26, 2002) The upgrade project for the casting section for extrusion ingot is a major challenge for us. Some say that it will be too difficult to achieve the same standard as the Hydro casthouses, but on the other hand it gives us something to strive for," says Evgeni Chuvasho.
Together with Alexander Golov, Chuvasho leads the work group that over the next six months will make the preparations for new, modern casthouse and homogenization equipment for extrusion ingot at the aluminium metal plant in Sayanogorsk in southern Siberia.
 POWERFUL GIANT: The 200-meter tall dam across River Yenisei makes Sayano-Shusyehenskaya one of the world's largest hydroelectric power plants with an annual production of 25 Twh. It produces enough power to double the capacity at the aluminium metal plant in nearby Sayanogorsk. (Photo: Dag Sunnanå) |
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First to arrive will be homogenization equipment from Hertwich and casting tables from the Sunndal company Hycast.
Lengthy negotiations preceded the ten-year agreement on the production and marketing of extrusion ingot, which was signed in Oslo 24 July 2002. Chuvasho and his colleagues have no doubts that this is the right partner:
"We have similar interests to Hydro. We felt it was safer to have one supplier of casthouse equipment that could offer a package solution, rather than having to relate to different suppliers, where we would not be sure whether the equipment would be compatible."
After visiting several of Hydro's casthouses, including Karmøy and Sunndalsøra, and meeting a number of key personnel, Chuvasho was further convinced.
"During these visits we saw the advantages the Norwegian plants had of specializing in a particular product," says Chuvasho. He adds that he also found people easy to get on with at a personal level.
Updating
Chuvasho was recently promoted to take on responsibility for RusAl's department for casthouse technology, and his former position as manager for casthouse products in Sayanogorsk was taken on by his colleague Golov.
Now that RusAl has gone in for the improvement program, Chuvasho feels a distinct need for updating his own expertise. He hopes to learn more through the contact with Hydro Aluminium and would like to visit extrusion plants that use the Russian casthouse products.
Exactly who it was who had the idea of contacting the Norwegians, Chuvasho can't remember, but the initiative came from the central office in Moscow. Extensive market analyses were carried out and they found that Hydro was clearly best. "RusAl has great hopes of this project," says Chuvasho.
At a personal level he feels great joy to see the project developing: "It's like watching your child take its first steps," says the 36-year old metallurgist.
 WELL LIKED: "The local community just loves us," says executive vice president Alexei Volvenkin, who has 5,650 employees at the Sayanogorsk plant. |
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Executive vice president of the Sayanogorsk plant , Andrey Volvenkin, sees definite advantages of the agreement with Hydro:
"Hydro forecasts a capacity of nearly 100,000 extrusion ingot under peak operations. This will give our products an advantageous price. The agreement means we will gain a modern casthouse that will also increase the proportion of alloyed products."
But equally important is the knowledge the 375 casthouse employees will gain through the training," says Volvenkin, who visited the aluminium metal plant Talum in Slovenia a little while ago, and made the following reflection:
"Casthouses are normally dangerous places to be, but at Talum, which has a Hydro standard casthouse, the risk was reduced to a minimum. We felt safe everywhere we went. We are certain that the new casthouse standard will reduce the number of accidents."
Volvenkin believes the Hydro is important not just for the Sayanogorsk plant, but for the whole of RusAl. It is normal to purchase know how through contact with other companies. But with an agreement over ten years, Volvenkin believes that a number of areas will arise, where it will be natural to cooperate and learn from each other.
The Sayanogorsk plant will undergo an extensive expansion over the next three years - from the present capacity of 400,000 tonnes to 650,000 tonnes in the first phase. Further extensions may follow, increasing capacity to nearly 800,000 tones. One of the world's largest hydroelectric power plants Sayano-Shusyehenskaya, which produced around 25 Twh last year, will have no problem supplying the energy. This power is difficult to export:
"In terms of energy it makes best sense to use the available energy for aluminium production. Further processing is of less interest, as extending the primary capacity is clearly most profitable."
The infrastructure is already in place in Sayanogorsk, and the environmental impact will not be significantly altered. Relations with the local community and the region Khakassia are also excellent, as Volvenkin underlines. Det norske Veritas carried out an environmental audit of the plant in November.
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FACTS
about Sayanogorsk Aluminium Smelter (SAZ)
- Sayanogorsk Aluminium Smelter (SAZ) is the newest and most modern of all Russia's aluminium plants. It was built in 1985 in the Khakassia region in southern Siberia.
- SAZ is the third largest Russian plant and delivers 400,000 tonnes aluminium a year in the form of sheet ingot, extrusion ingot, ingots and T-bars. This volume represents 11 percent of Russia's total aluminium production. The plant produces its own anodes for its prebake cells.
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