Alum Tulcea invested USD 10 million to upgrade its slag dump red mud lake

Tulcea, 12 December 2012 – Alum Tulcea (BSE: BBGA) (“Alum”, “the Company”), the only alumina producer in Romania, invested over USD 10 millions in modernizing and upgrading its slag dump, ever since it restarted its activity, in 2009. Following this complex modernisation programme, the National Dam Committee has renewed the Mud Pond Operation Authorization until 2016.

“We implemented a highly complex modernization programme, with a strong result in terms of environment protection and we will continue to take responsible measures to ensure continuous compliance with all regulations in the field”, said Gheorghe Dobra CEO of Vimetco and Alum GM. “Despite the difficult aluminium market, we are committed to continue our long-term development plans in Tulcea, as part of an integrated international Group.”

The modernization programme included the partial shut down of the former dump for red slag, on a perimeter of 4.8 hectares and building a system for dry slag depositing. The main construction works related to switching the mud disposal in Mud Pond, from wet disposal to dry staking technology. The red mud is currently disposed in the Mud Pond having minimum 52 % solids. Moreover, the former dump was rendered ecologically safe, and the Company planted a natural barrier in the area, with 50,000 trees.

Alum built a new transport and depositing system for the dry staking of the slag, modernized the wetting system and consolidated all the dykes and completed the pluvial channel water channel.

By the end of the year, the Company will finish all constructions works capturing the meteoric waters from the upstream of the dump and diverge them via a hydro-technical system, as per the Design approved by National Dam Committee.

Between 2007 and 2009, the alumina refinery undertook a complex technical and environmental upgrading programme. The reopening of the plant has involved hiring 470 people, meaning that the plant now employs 600 people in total. The company has replaced part of the existing equipment in order to make the production process more efficient and also to be in compliance with the European norms on environment protection. After the implementation of the upgrading program, the technological flow has been optimized, resulting in competitive production costs.

For further information please contact:

Florenta Ghita
Premium Communication
Bucharest
Phone +40 (0) 21 411 01 52
Email florenta.ghita@premiumpr.ro
 

About Alum

Alum is an alumina refinery with a production capacity of 600,000 tonnes of alumina per year with domestic sales to Alro SA, part of the Vimetco Group, and internationally. Alum’s shares have been traded on the Bucharest Stock Exchange since 1997.