Carbon Neutral Initiatives
January 23, 2026
Rio Tinto says Quebec smelter expansion on track for Q1
Written by Stephanie Ritenbaugh
The first hot metal and commissioning for Rio Tinto’s low-carbon AP60 aluminum smelter in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada, is on track to be completed in the first quarter.
The smelter is expected to be fully ramped up by end of the year, the mining company said in a production report released this week.
Approved in 2023, the $1.3 billion project aims to expand Rio Tinto’s smelter equipped with low-carbon technology at Complexe Jonquière in Canada.
The total investment includes up to $150 million Canadian dollars ($113 million) in financial support from the Quebec government. Rio Tinto is the 100% owner of the project.
This new capacity is expected to be in addition to 30,000 metric tons of new recycling capacity at Arvida on the same site, which has been rescheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2026, previously targeted for the fourth quarter of 2025, Rio Tinto said.
Capacity will increase by about 160,000 metric tons of primary aluminum per year with the addition of 96 AP60 pots. In total, there will be 134 AP60 pots and capacity of about 220,000 metric tons per year.
Construction is progressing, with lining and pot-to-pot module installations completed in both buildings. Energization of the first substations has been successfully completed, the company said.
Meanwhile, Rio Tinto is embarking on a major upgrade of the nearly century-old Isle-Maligne hydroelectric station in Quebec. Capital expenditures of $1.7 billion Canadian dollars ($1.2 billion) will be spent to secure low-carbon power for its aluminum smelters in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.
