Quebec Operations

The Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean region plays a major role in the Aluminium product group with the production of 1.5 million tonnes of aluminium per year—approximately half of Rio Tinto’s global production.Our operations in the region include an alumina refinery, four smelters, six hydropower plants, our Arvida Research and Development Centre, the Aluminium Operations Centre, a rail network, and a port.Our refinery and smelters are some of the most technologically advanced in the world, and are powered entirely by clean, renewable hydropower. With a daily spend of $1 million to maintain and increase the competitiveness of our business, we are also the largest private investor in the region.