ALMA: Rio Tinto is investing $1.2 billion (CA$1.7 billion) to modernize its Isle-Maligne hydroelectric power plant, marking its largest single investment in hydroelectric assets since the 1950s.
The renovation aims to secure the future of low-carbon aluminum production in Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, ensuring job stability and an efficient, safe, and reliable renewable energy supply for smelters and other facilities.
The project, running through 2032, will involve replacing eight turbine-alternator groups, rehabilitating water intake and hydraulic passages, and constructing an extension and mechanical workshop. More than 300 workers are expected to be on-site at peak activity.
“The Isle-Maligne hydroelectric power plant has been a strategic asset for Rio Tinto for 100 years,” said Sébastien Ross, managing director of Atlantic operations for Rio Tinto Aluminium. “This major investment will ensure the long-term future and competitiveness of our low-carbon aluminum production in Quebec for decades to come.”
The investment supplements previously announced projects worth $183 million (CA$252 million) for equipment refurbishments at the plant.
Rio Tinto, one of Canada’s largest private hydroelectric producers, operates seven hydroelectric facilities in Quebec and British Columbia, enabling its aluminum smelters to produce some of the lowest-carbon aluminum globally.