A third party contractor was deconstructing an old transformer purchased from Qatalum at a laydown area adjacent to Qatalum’s power plant when one of their workers was struck as the frame collapsed.

“It is with great sorrow that I received the news that a worker passed away at our joint venture plant Qatalum. This is a painful reminder of the importance of safety in our operations and all activities on our sites. Our thoughts go out to the family and colleagues,”  says President & CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim.

Qatalum is a 50/50 joint venture owned by Hydro and Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing Company Q.P.S.C. (QAMCO). The plant has a nameplate capacity of primary aluminium of 636,000 metric tonnes and casthouse capacity of 664,000 metric tonnes. Qatalum is fully integrated with a smelter, casthouse, carbon plant and a dedicated gas fired power plant.

The accident will be investigated by the authorities and Qatalum will also launch an internal investigation.