Two former Rio Tinto executives sent a letter to elected officials at Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean urging them to “beware” of the multinational on the Elysis files.
“That’s enough, we have to inform elected officials,” said Jacques Dubuc, a senior at Rio Tinto from Alcan who doubts the company really wants to modernize its Jonquiere facilities.
The Elysis technology, on which the multinational is basing all its hopes for the future, will not be available for at least 10 years, according to Mr. Dubuc.
Nor can it be installed in old plants such as the Complexe Jonquière electrolysis center, which is scheduled to cease operations in 2025.
“First, it’s very expensive,” said Mr. Dubuc. We have to stop production while we make the changes and nothing tells us it will be a profitable operation.
According to Jacques Dubuc, the future of aluminum production in the region is threatened.
He urges the government to open its eyes and stop favoring a company that doesn’t deliver on its promises.
“Even if there have been changes in the decrees, the government still has the means to say the break is over,” he said.
According to him, the region’s elected officials have a duty to act to force the multinational to take its responsibilities and stop promising the impossible with Elysis.