UC Rusal has launched the production of aluminum alloy wire rods for cables and wires used in the electrical systems of buildings and installations at its Kandalaksha Aluminum Smelter (“KAZ”). The wire rods have passed qualification testing by foreign consumers of cable and wire products, and Rusal has already signed long-term contracts to ship more than 100 tons of this product per month to markets in Europe and the United States, the Russian aluminum giant said in a press release. Cable and wire made from 8xxx series aluminum alloy perform on par with copper equivalents, but surpass them more than twofold in terms of pricing, the company said. This project is part of Rusal’s strategy to increase the share of alloys in its production. With the launch of the new product, the amount of alloy products made at KAZ will reach 8,000 tons per year.

“There is currently great interest in this product from foreign consumers. At the same time, the company expects that with the improvement of Russia’s regulatory procedures, this product will soon appear on the domestic market as well. The company’s production capacity will make it possible to produce up to 30,000 tons of wire rod annually,” Rusal’s sales director for Russia and the C.I.S. Roman Andryushin was quoted as saying in the release.