"30 cells reported deactivated at (smelter)after 12 hours of blackout...."

 

The loss of power to any aluminium plant is bad. But a loss of power to a smelter is worst. Here is a recent incident highlighting the hazard.

According to the official version, the situation managed to be stabilized to protect the approximately 200 active cells, which represents less than 30% of the company's operational capacity.

Workers of (smelter)reported that at least 30 electrolytic cells were deactivated as a result of the blackout of more than 12 hours that affected the country on August 30, and that according to official sources it was due to an alleged sabotage of the (nearby) Hydroelectric Power Plant.

In the early hours of this Friday, a series of videos began to circulate, in which workers can be seen worried about major explosions in (smelter) Complex I. In the audiovisuals they express fear and request support to control the situation.

Workers interviewed by news media explained that these explosions happen due to an overload in the cells, which must have constant power to prevent them from being turned off. After the blackout, they cooled down and when the electrical charge returned, they began to spark due to overload, which is presented as explosions that must be treated with safety measures.

"At 7:00 p.m. there were 5 fifth-line cells that had left and two from Complex I. During the night we will have to see how many survive. They are cells that cut and go, they have to be killed. And at this moment they continue, and at 10:00 p.m. there were 11. When it is said that they left, it is that they are lost because they cut or melt the hull and there is a spill, then the explosions begin when the liquid aluminum that makes contact with the earth falls and that spark begins everywhere. It is something that was expected in the face of such a long period without electricity. They cool down and when they start to put current into the heating process, those that are advanced in age producing aluminum and have some cracks, go there. When that liquid aluminum touches the ground, it begins to spark and that is the rain that you see in the videos," said a worker of the aluminum production company who preferred to keep his identity confidential.

Another employee of the company said that the explosion seen last night, although expected, was aggravated due to an alleged problem in the Substation, which supplies electricity to (smelter). The staff stated that there was an error in the voltage of the electrical transmission, being too high and causing many explosions in the plant.

Official version confirms that less than 30% of the cells are operational

In contrast, the government published a video on social networks in which the company's authorities can be seen celebrating the stabilization of the plant.

"We are in the fifth-line rectifier room of (smelter), I am here with (name omitted), president of (smelter). Since 5:00 in the morning, (smelter) workers have been carrying out a delicate maneuver based on the sabotage of our electrical system. The personnel of technicians and engineers were present to carry out all the processes and safeguard a little more than 200 cells that this important aluminum complex has active," said the vice president of the smelter.

(smelter)has a total of 905 cells. After the blackout of 2019, which as happened this Friday left the entire country without electricity, the company was left at 0. For 2020, the company reported a total of 32 active cells, which rose to 74 in March 2021 and in December of the same year rose to 145. According to information published on the official government website, at the end of 2022, smelter had 169 active cells.

In this sense, and taking the official declaration as a reference, during the whole of 2023 a little more than 30 cells were recovered to reach 200 active cells. On this, the workers' statements affirm that this is the same percentage that would have been lost due to this Friday's blackout.

It appears no one was injured during the explosions that occurred in the potline. We are thankful for that. We pray that the smelter can get the pots back up and running as soon as possible.

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