Alouette aluminum smelter invests $1.5 billion in Sept-Îles

The Alouette aluminum smelter is investing $1.5 billion to modernize its facilities in Sept-Îles, on the North Shore.

• Also read: The Alouette aluminum smelter would invest $1.5 billion in the modernization of its facilities

Prime Minister François Legault was on site Friday at noon to make the announcement.

"Politics isn't always fun , but you have before you a prime minister in a good mood," he declared at the start of the press briefing.

This investment stems from the new supply agreement signed by the aluminum smelter with Hydro-Québec.

"We agreed on 20 years of electricity rates, until 2045. In exchange, Alouette is committed to investing $1.5 billion to modernize its facilities. What great news!" said the Prime Minister.

The Sept-Îles aluminum smelter employs 1,000 workers who earn an average salary of $110,000 per year.

In addition, there are 2,700 indirect jobs linked to the Sept-Îles plant, for a total of 3,700 workers.

"What great news for the North Shore! What great news for the Quebec economy," exclaimed François Legault.

The Alouette aluminum smelter is the largest in the Americas, producing over 630,000 tonnes of primary aluminum per year. It is responsible for 20% of all aluminum production in Quebec.

Quebec is the world's fourth largest producer of primary aluminum, producing 75% of all primary aluminum in North America. In Canada, 90% of national production comes from Quebec.

Some 2.9 million tonnes of aluminum are produced each year in Quebec, generating nearly 30,000 jobs.

Trade war

Last May, the Premier of Quebec announced a $1.7 billion investment from Rio Tinto for the refurbishment of the Isle-Maligne power plant in Alma, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.

On Friday, after announcing the investment in the Alouette aluminum smelter, he took the liberty of firing a shot at Donald Trump.

"There's a gentleman in the United States who wants us to no longer invest in aluminum smelters [elsewhere] except in the United States. The answer: $3.2 billion with just two announcements. Frankly, that's the best we can hope for for the Quebec economy," Mr. Legault boasted on Friday.

The Prime Minister reiterated his government's objective of increasing the province's energy production.

The CAQ's priority remains the economy, insisted François Legault, who claims that the Quebec economy has surpassed that of other provinces since he took office.

"It's exceptional. It's historic to say that when we look at per capita economic growth or when we look at average wage growth, we've beaten Ontario and the rest of Canada for six years. That's unprecedented," he said.

François Legault was keen to defend the CAQ's economic record, despite his government's few failures.

"Even if journalists insist on talking about Northvolt and the few failures we've had, we've had hundreds of successes, like here at Alouette," declared the Premier of Quebec.

The latter also promised that the coming years would be even better due to opportunities in the energy, critical minerals and defense sectors.