Maputo — The aluminium smelter Mozal, on the outskirts of Maputo, intends to increase aluminium production by 40,000 tonnes in the current economic year, which started in June.
The production, according to Mozal general-director Gil Cumaio, cited in Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Notícias', will grow to 578,000 tonnes of aluminium against the previous 538,000 tonnes.
"The expected growth is the result of the improvement of operations within the company. This forecast may also influence the level of aluminium export as a result of the investments made by the company recently', Cumaio said.
The aluminium produced last year, he explained, was exported to various markets, especially to Europe, taking into account that Holland stands out as the main buyer of aluminium ingots.
Last January, the company announced plans to start using power produced by Mozambique's publicly owned electricity company, EDM, replacing power from the South African state company Eskom.
For its operation, Mozal needs 950 Megawatts (MW) to produce over 560,000 tonnes of aluminium per year.