Just two years after being taken over by Trimet Aluminium in Essen, the aluminium smelter in Voerde is again working at maximum production capacity. For the first time in more than five years, Voerde is again working under a full load. The total of 188 electrolytic furnaces have an annual capacity of 95,000 tonnes of aluminium. "The restart of the last electrolytic cells is the result of a great team effort and it is a strong signal for the future of the site. Voerde is firmly anchored in the Trimet family. The three sites – our recycling plant in Gelsenkirchen, the aluminium smelter in Essen, and Voerde – all form a productive aluminium trio, working in harmony together with local partners," said Trimet CEO, Martin Iffert.
In May 2014 Trimet took over the insolvent Voerde aluminium smelter with its roughly 280 employees, and since then it has increased production capacity continuously. The ultra-pure aluminium produced in Voerde is used among others to produce sophisticated casting alloys. The site also manufactures carbon anodes, which are needed in the electrolysis process. 291 employees work at the aluminium smelter and the anode plant, including ten trainees in commercial and technical professions. Five more young people will begin their training at Trimet in the summer.
"The Trimet aluminium smelter is an important employer in Voerde, and plays an important role in the economy there. After being faced with major challenges a few years ago, they are now writing a genuine success story with good prospects for the future for the employees and industry in the region. I'm very pleased that all the effort has been worth it," remarked Hans-Ulrich Krüger, MdB, and former mayor of Voerde, at a plant tour.
Martin Iffert emphasised the importance of a secure, reliable and competitive supply of electricity for the production site and made reference to the contribution of the energy-intensive raw materials industry to the implementation of the energy revolution. "As industrial plant that is always on the grid, the aluminium smelter can utilise electricity from wind and solar plants at any time. And it can be switched off at any time too, when the grid requires it. In the last twelve months alone, the electrolysis systems at Trimet were taken off the grid briefly more than 30 times, to stabilise the power grid," said Iffert. Trimet is even testing a method for flexibly controlling the supply of energy for aluminium production. This would allow the aluminium smelter to act as electricity storage system in the power network, functioning as balancing element between fluctuating power generation and need-based energy consumption.