Alcoa To Reduce Operating Level at Intalco and Restart Capacity at Warrick; Output Reduced by 45,000 Metric Tons Per Year.

Business Editors

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 20, 2001

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE:AA) today announced that the company is continuing the production cutback at its Ferndale, Washington (Intalco) aluminum smelter and is restarting idle capacity at its operations in Warrick County, Indiana, near Evansville.

At Intalco, Alcoa will further lower 2001 output of its 61% owned smelter by an additional 70,000 metric tons, bringing the smelter's operating capacity to 130,000 metric tons per year (mtpy). Under agreement with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), 281 megawatts of power will be sold back to BPA between May 1 and October 1, 2001. No layoffs are expected as a result of the action. As reported previously, the company Alcoa had expected the January cutbacks to last only through April.

On April 1, Warrick Operations will restart the last of its six potlines, resulting in approximately 25,000 mtpy of additional capacity. The smelter will then be operating at its 300,000-mtpy nameplate capacity. The potline has been idle since 1993. Approximately 40 production workers will be added.

Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum, and alumina. It is active in all major segments of the industry -- technology, mining, refining, smelting, fabricating and recycling.