Alcoa recently announced that Suralco, which is owned by Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (AWAC), a global alliance between Alcoa and Alumina Ltd., has completed the 250,000-metric-ton-per-year (mtpy) expansion of its alumina refinery in Paranam, Suriname, six months ahead of schedule. The expansion, completed at a total cost of approximately $65 million or approximately $260/ton, brings the facility's total capacity to approximately 2.2 million mtpy. Suralco and an affiliate of BHP Billiton own 55% and 45%, respectively, of the Paranam facility. "The expansion has gone well, and we've been ahead of schedule throughout the project, which wasn't slated to be finished mechanically until the third quarter of 2005," said Warren M. Pedersen, Suralco's managing director.

More information can be found at http://www.alcoa.com.