US Noranda alumina refinery to resume operations after Hurricane Ida

The Noranda refinery at Gramercy, Louisiana, will resume alumina production and bauxite refining operations in the week started Aug. 29 after "extensive surveying and safety checks" have been conducted post Hurricane Ida, a source close to the refinery told S&P Global Platts Sept. 2.

The facility is expected to produce "at around 80% capacity from this week, before thereafter safely resuming full alumina products production," the source added. The rate of production will depend on a number of factors, including the restoration of open navigation on the Lower Mississippi River, and the full operational recovery of some of its key suppliers and service providers in the area.

There was no serious damage to the alumina refinery, as well as no workforce injuries at the site. The plant was shut as part of precautionary measures in the wake of Hurricane Ida, Platts reported Aug. 31.

The plant has the capacity to produce 1.2 million mt/year of smelter-grade and chemical-grade alumina, of which about 55% is smelter-grade.

The refinery produced close to 1.15 million mt alumina in 2020, according to the source.

Nearly all of its output is typically sold domestically in the US, according to market sources.