The Mozal aluminum smelter, located on the outskirts of Maputo, is expected to maintain its annual production target of 350,000 tons of aluminum in 2025, despite the constraints experienced in the first quarter of the year, announced the Australian company South32, operator of the unit.
According to the company, there was an 18% reduction in sales in the quarter ending in March, as a result of the earlier decision to temporarily reduce the smelter’s amperage, in a strategy to manage the levels of raw materials available.
Even so, the company expects to recover its production pace in the second quarter, with the gradual disposal of accumulated inventory.
At the same time, South32 said it was working with Eskom, the South African state-owned energy company, and the Mozambican government, to guarantee the continuity of Mozal’s hydroelectric supply beyond March 2026.
The company pointed out that, in the current scenario, there are no viable alternatives for supplying renewable energy on a scale compatible with the size of the operation.
“We remain focused on concluding a new energy supply agreement later this year, which will allow the smelter to maintain its operation and the significant contribution it makes to Mozambique’s economy,” South32 said in a statement.
Mozal continues to be one of the country’s largest industrial units, with a significant impact on Mozambique’s trade balance, generating direct and indirect jobs and supplying processed products for export.
Source: Engineering News
