November 19 marks a milestone for one enormous idea we are bringing to reality. That's when we're laying the cornerstone in Qatar for what will be the world’s largest aluminium smelter.

In cooperation with Qatar Petroleum, Hydro is building the smelter with planned capacity of 585,000 tonnes of primary aluminium in phase one. At the same time, we are securing an even greater supply of alumina for our operations around the globe.

Supplying the raw materials

We are ramping up production of alumina at the world’s largest refinery, Alunorte in Brazil.

The third expansion of Alunorte, in which Hydro owns a 34 percent stake, will be completed in late 2008, bringing total capacity to 6.5 million tonnes of alumina per year. 

Opening doors

We will be recruiting 200 specialists in a wide range of disciplines in the near future to staff facilities in Qatar and Norway.

The Qatalum project is a key strategic element in focusing our business on the upstream aluminium sector. With a production start up date scheduled for the end of 2009, Hydro estimates 1,100 jobs will be created, so during 2008 and 2009 we will be recruiting 150-200 employees from our existing casthouses to new positions at Qatalum.

This will present exciting new opportunities to join the Hydro team at many of our existing facilities.

What's more, these employees will also be given the chance to work in Qatar at a later date. By investing in the future of aluminium in this way, we will be creating significant opportunities for new and existing employees.