The mining giant Rio Tinto announced to pour nearly €80 million in its Dunkirk aluminum plant in the past 18 months. It's learned that the company plans to invest at least that much again over the next five years on energy saving and efficiency improvements. The largest aluminum plant in the European Union with 2012 production of 260,000 tons, seaside Dunkirk is the biggest single-point user of electricity in France, consuming 485 megawatts per hour, or half the output of one nuclear reactor at the nearby Gravelines site. As Rio Tinto's 25-year contract with French utility EDF expires at the end of 2016, its electricity bill, which adds up to 23% of production costs could rise as much as 80% from 2017, as contract prices catch up.
Source:
http://www.yieh.com/2.2.01.01stainlesssteelnews.aspx?no=66055&division=A9
