Rio Tinto Alcan Smelting
Aluminium Smelting and Hydro Electricity Generation
What do we do?
We produce around 48,000 tonnes of aluminium each year, generally cast in 10 tonne ingots
We employ around 160 people, specifically trained for the various operations within the plant.
We operate the plant to the most demanding Environmental, Quality and Health & Safety
standards and hold registrations to ISO 14001:1996, ISO 9001:2000, OHSAS 18001:1999 and EMAS. These are controlled within a fully Integrated Management System.
We generate more than 85 Megawatts of electricity from Hydro renewable resources at the Lochaber and Kinlochleven power stations and can sell excess to the National Grid
We are one of the key employers in Fort William
We can offer guided tours of our Plant by arrangement
We care about our Environment and maintain close relationships with SEPA
We are a registered Investors in People plant?
Our History and Background
The Railway came to Fort William in 1890 and as in all other places around the world it attracted people.
In 1929 The British Aluminium Company Ltd completed their major hydro construction programme of dams and pipework to carry millions of litres of water to their new aluminium smelters at Fort William and Kinlochleven. Hundreds of men came from all over to work and labour on the project and others became the first employees of the company. Earlier, in 1907, the Kinlochleven plant was commissioned.
The villages of Inverlochy and Kinlochleven were built specifically to provide housing for the workers and their families and Kinlochleven was the first village in Scotland to be provided with electricity as a result of the hydro-generating station.
Today, after much modernisation and the development of specialised equipment, skills and processes, we are part of a global company called Alcan Inc, which has its headquarters in Canada.
Rainfall for Power
Loch Treig, which you can see from the West Highland Railway Line, north and east of Spean Bridge, is the main source of water. Water is taken from the loch along a 24Km long pipe, which is 4.5m in diameter. Along the way to Fort William additional water is collected from the surrounding hills and introduced to the pipe. The familiar pipes descending from the shoulder of Ben Nevis are the last section of the...
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