Moscow, 8 July, 2003 – RUSAL, the world’s second largest aluminium producer today announced that it has chosen the Hatch Group to design and build an additional production unit at the Sayanogorsk aluminium smelter (two potlines, 384 pots), which will increase the current primary aluminium production by 270,000 metric tons per year . This will be the first major aluminium smelter construction in Russia in fifteen years. RUSAL also appointed Mr. Daniel Siouffi as Project Director for this expansion.

Hatch was awarded the contract following a tender involving four well-qualified participants. Hatch will be responsible for engineering, procurement and project management associated with the expansion. They will be assisted by VAMI in developing the engineering for the project. 

Mr.Siouffi will lead RUSAL’s expansion project as Project Director. Prior to his move to RUSAL he worked at Bechtel as Project Director for Alba Smelter (Aluminum Bahrain) Expansion Project and has been involved in eight other aluminium smelter projects worldwide.

Design work on the project will begin in August. Initial site work is expected to start in March 2004 and will be completed in the first half of 2006. The project will combine Hatch’s know-how with RUSAL’s modified C-255 proven technology. It is estimated the project will cost approximately US$700 million. The new operating facility will employ approximately 600 additional people.

RUSAL will build a facility which complies with the latest environmental world standards. A Environmental Impact Assessment is currently being prepared by the Informational Environmental Agency, a non-governmental organisation. This will be followed by the governmental environmental review.

The Hatch Group, which incorporated both Kaiser Engineers and BHP Engineers, is a world-renowned engineering and construction organisation, which has provided industry and government with management and technical services for over 80 years.  The Hatch Associate Group has performed work in 90 countries on five continents, on assignments ranging from small, short-term studies to multi-billion-dollar projects.

END

About RUSAL
RUSAL is the second largest primary aluminium producer in the world, formed in March 2000 from the merger of a number of largest smelters and other aluminium producers located in the CIS.  The Company accounts for 75% of Russia's primary aluminium output and 10% of the global primary aluminium output. RUSAL is a fully vertically integrated company with a complete production cycle from bauxite mining and the production of raw materials, to the production of primary metal, semi-products and aluminium-based end products. RUSAL is headquartered in Moscow.

###

For further information:
RUSAL
www.RUSAL.com
Moscow
Eugenia Harrison, Moscow +7 095 720 5170, or zharrison@rusal.ru;
Fred Harrison, London + 44 207 431 7517, or fharrison@ansdellconsult.com;
Stan Neve, New York + 1 212 333 3810, or sneve@brunswickgroup.com

Daniel Siouffi biographical details:
Daniel Siouffi graduated in 1978 from Carnegie-Mellon University, Pennsylvania, USA and has a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of Qu?bec Order of Engineers.
He started his career in 1978 as engineer at Lavalin and was gradually promoted to take a position of project engineer. He then moved to Spie Batignolles to be appointed Deputy Project Engineering Manager. Having spent a year in Fenco-Lavalin as Deputy Project Manager he moved in 1986 to USS Engineering & Consultants to become a Project Manager. He then spent a year in Fluor Daniel as Project Area Engineer prior to joining Bechtel in 1988 where he worked for 15 years, becoming Senior Project Manager. He was born 8 March, 1958 in Canada.  He is married, with two children.