Two weeks after announcing it was considering shutting down its Kurri smelter, Norsk Hydro has confirmed the plant will shut.
Norsk Hydro confirmed the closure in a statement on Thursday morning.
“After consulting with the workforce and the unions, we have
come to the conclusion to close the remaining two production lines
at Kurri Kurri,” executive vice president of Hydro’s primary metal
business, Hilde Merete Aasheim, said in a statement.
“We will shortly start shutting down pots, and will do this in a
safe and proper manner.”
When the plan was announced, Norsk Hydro blamed low metal prices, an uncertain economic outlook, the high Australian dollar and an over supply of aluminium across the globe.
The closure will result in the loss of around 330 jobs and is a bitter blow for the small towns around the smelter.
