Alcoa Russia plans to raise output 18%

Alcoa Russia plans to raise output 18% this year compared with 2006, said William O'Rourke, the head of the U.S. aluminium giant's Russia division.

Those enterprises shipped a record 21,000 tonnes of products to consumers in March, he said.

Alcoa plans to increase output in Russia to 300,000 tonnes in the next few years. Output fell just short of 250,000 tonnes in 2006. Alcoa Russia has said it sold 103,000 tonnes of aluminium goods to consumers in Russia and exported 116,000 tonnes in 2006. The company expects overall shipments to rise 17% this year to 254,000 tonnes, including 126,000 tonnes to the domestic market and 128,000 tonnes abroad.