An Alcoa construction project began Friday at the Deschambault Smelter, in the Capitale-Nationale region, to increase the capacity of the casting center to create a production line for small ingots.

Built in an existing building, the $9.8 million project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2023.

It comes in addition to the two vertical pouring wells that are already present in the plant.

"We are working directly with a customer to integrate this production capability to meet specific needs in the North American market," Kelly Thomas, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in a statement.

The production of small ingots will meet the needs of customers for value-added products, such as foundry alloys for the automotive industry, for example.

“This project, which will enable the sustainable manufacturing of value-added aluminum, will contribute to the competitiveness of our existing Canadian portfolio and we are very proud of it,” added Louis Langlois, President of Alcoa Canada.

The smelter has already completed an energy infrastructure project to increase production.

Note that the plant has a nominal capacity of 287,000 metric tons of aluminum per year.