CHINA’S major aluminium producer, Yunnan Aluminum Co. Ltd., plans to expand its capacity to 330,000 tons per year (tpy) from 130,000 tpy, a company official said Tuesday.

　　The company plans to build a new smelter using environmentally friendly “pre-baked” technology that, when completed in 2004 or 2005, will increase Yunnan Aluminum’s capacity by 200,000 tpy, the official said.

　　Pre-bake technology is more energy efficient and produces less greenhouse gas emissions in the smelting process. “We recently got approval to expand and we are now levelling land at the site. Construction of the new smelter is expected to start by the end of the year,” said the official.

　　China has been pushing up aluminum production in recent years to feed high domestic demand and increase the quantity being exported. Its aluminum production capacity is expected to rise one million tpy to 5.26 million tpy this year as new smelters begin operations and others complete upgrades.

　　(SD-Agencies)