OREANDA-NEWS. June 27, 2011. UC RUSAL (SEHK: 486, Euronext: RUSAL/RUAL, MICEX: RUALR, RTS: RUAL), the world’s largest aluminium producer, announces that the Company’s Engineering & Technology Centre (ETC) has been awarded the Skolkovo Innovation Centre Participant Status. This status enables RUSAL to participate in state R&D co-financing programmes.

RUSAL is applying to the Skolkovo Innovation Committee for RUR750 million co-financing for the development and industrial introduction of inert anode. The Company is also going to apply for co-financing of the RA-500 (520kA) Smelting Technology research project and Red Mud Recycling research project (jointly with the National University of Science and Technology “MISIS”).

The cooperation with Skolkovo will result in the introduction of new environmentally friendly and efficient aluminium production technologies and will boost the development of Russian non-ferrous metallurgy as well as the country’s scientific potential.

Viktor Mann, UC RUSAL’s Head of Technology and Technical Development said: “RUSAL is very active in R&D and that is why Skolkovo’s unique research practice is very important for us. The Skolkovo Fund gives its participants the opportunity to use its resources, helps to select partners and contributes in introduction of the most prominent ideas. The inert anode technology could be a real revolution in the global aluminium industry. We are very pleased to notice that Skolkovo appreciates the prospects of this technology introduction in Russia. It will become another acknowledgement of our country’s leadership in this industry.”

For reference: The introduction of the inert anodes in industrial scale can lower the aluminium production costs by 15%. It will also enable to fully abandon the use of carbon in aluminium production, reducing the environmental impact.