The Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) has started commercial operations at its first Continuous Casting and Rolling (CCR) electrical-grade rod mill, chief executive Robert Makila Sambian said on 3 November 2026 at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources' Progress Series.
The mill turns primary liquid aluminium into electrical-grade rods for local manufacturers and for export, including to Europe. Until now the smelter has sold mainly primary metal.
VALCO's workforce grew to 848 by October 2026, from 785 in December 2025, an increase of 63 people or 8.0%. Management expects direct employment to reach 1,500 when all five potlines are restored and downstream manufacturing expands, with more than 6,000 indirect jobs projected. Both job figures are targets.
The company said it was on track to end October with 98 active reduction cells, against a target of 150. It has secured 5,000 tonnes of imported carbon anodes to support the ramp-up.
New equipment includes 16 lift trucks, two payloaders, two melting furnaces, a centrifuge system, mobile crushing equipment and cranes, as well as a dedicated natural gas pipeline. The rod plant runs 24 hours a day on a system of four rotating shifts.
VALCO did not give the mill's annual output, its export volumes or a date for restoring all five potlines.