Alcan Lynemouth Aluminium Smelter

infobox building
building_name =Alcan Lynemouth Aluminium Smelter
native_building_name=

|250px
caption =Alcan Lynemouth Smelter in July 2008
former_names =
map_type =
building_type =Aluminium smelter
architectural_style =
structural_system =
structural_system =
cost =£54 million
location =Lynemouth, Northumberland, North East England
address =
client =
owner =Alcan
current_tenants =
landlord =
coordinates =
start_date =
completion_date =
inauguration_date =1974
demolition_date =
destruction_date =
height =
diameter =
other_dimensions =
floor_count =
floor_area =
main_contractor =
architect =
structural_engineer =
services_engineer =
civil_engineer =
other_designers =
quantity_surveyor =
awards =
references =

The Alcan Lynemouth Aluminium Smelter is situated on the coast of North East England, convert|0.65|mi|abbr=on south of the village of Lynemouth in Northumberland. The smelter is owned by Canadian aluminium company Alcan, who are now officially known as Rio Tinto Alcan. The smelter was opened in 1974 at a cost of £54 million.

Factors Determining the Smelter's Site

A variety of factors determined the smelter's position:

The first was a source of electric power to smelt the aluminium. One tonne of aluminium requires the same amount of electricity as an average family does in 20 years, so cheap power was needed. In 1972 Alcan commissioned Lynemouth Power Station less than convert|200|m|abbr=on from the smelter's site, to fullfil their power needs. The station's site was based upon the Ellington and Lynemouth coal mines nearby, which were also the fundamental reason for the nearby village's creation. The power station has a 420 megawatt (MW) capacity, more than enough to meet the load requirements of the smelter. ["Electrical Times", v.160 1971 Oct-Dec] The spare electricity is sold to the National Grid.

Another factor was finding a labour force. Many coal mines in the area had shut down and as a result thousands of people were left unemployed. Aluminium smelting is very labour intensive but the workforce in the local area were used to heavy work because of working in the mines. The British government also granted £28 million to the company to help reduce unemployment in the area.cite book| title=Coursemate for OCR A GCSE Geography| author=Garrett Nagle| pages=75| year=2004| publisher=Nelson Thornes| isbn=0748790764]

Transport was another major factor as bauxite could not be found in the United Kingdom, only in places such as Jamaica and Australia. The smelter's location had to be near a port with good transport links to the site. The town of Blyth, which is convert|4|mi|abbr=on south of the smelter, already had a deep sea port. There was also a railway link from the port going directly to the power station, which was connected to the Alcan facility. The site also has good road links.

Clean water is also needed in the aluminium smelting process for cooling. A lake was located just convert|250|m|abbr=on from the site.

Facts

* The smelter has two of the most efficient ring burners in the world, costing around £17 million each.

* The smelter is the only aluminium smelting site in Europe which rebuilds the smelter whilst still in production. It is a 100 day process which takes place every seven years.

* The smelter is provided with alumina by two trains a day from Blyth, each consisting of 21 waggons. The alumina is shipped to Blyth from Limerick in the Ireland.

* Coke is shipped to Blyth from Louisiana in the U.S. and is transported to the smelter by HGVs.

Worries

When work first started on the site local farmers were worried that pollution from the smelter would ruin their crops and harm their livestock. To stop their concerns Alcan decided to buy the land from them. Alcan now own over 4,500 acres of land in the local area and employ a farming director. The land is still used to grow crops and raise livestock.

In early 2005 residents of nearby villages were worried about the fate of the smelter when the only remaining local coal mine situated at Ellington, closed. However the smelter did not close and imports its coal from overseas or from mines in other parts of the country.

References

External links

* [http://www.ukbusinesspark.co.uk/alcanaaa.htm UK Business Park News on Alcan]
* [http://www.ame.com.au/smelters/al/Lynemouth.htm AME Research]
* [http://www.lococarriage.org.uk/alcan_lynemouth.htm Brief Description]
* [http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/latest/Company-invests-in-a-safe.4319376.jp Company invests in a safe staff future]