RUSAL could cut output to create energy reserve following hydro-plant accident
MOSCOW. Aug 17 (Interfax) - Oleg Deripaska's United Company RUSAL (UC RUSAL) could cut aluminum output in order to create an energy reserve ahead of the winter season in view of the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric dam, RUSAL said in a statement.
RUSAL said Deripaska had taken part in a meeting held by Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, which was also attended by Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chairman of the Board of Directors of RusHydro Vyacheslav Sinyugin.
The meeting was held to discuss the breakdown at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydro Power Plant and its consequences for the energy supply in the Siberian region, where the most energy-intensive facilities, including RUSAL's aluminum smelters, are located. Meeting participants discussed different scenarios of using backup capacities for uninterrupted supply of energy to RUSAL's facilities.
One of the issues discussed was a possibility to reduce the output at RUSAL's smelters to create additional reserve of energy required for the stable functioning of the region on the eve of the autumn-winter season when the load on the energy system increases.