Aluminerie Alouette confirms $1.5 billion investment in Sept-Îles

Quebec Premier Francois Legault waves to people after his speech at the Coalition Avenir Quebec youth wing congress in Levis Que. Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

Aluminerie Alouette plans to invest up to $1.5 billion in its Sept-Îles facilities over the next 20 years, the company confirmed on Friday.

The aluminum producer says it has committed to investing $750 million by 2030, for a total of at least $1.5 billion by 2045, as part of an agreement between the company, the Quebec government, and Hydro-Quebec.

In February, Aluminerie Alouette President and CEO Claude Gosselin said that signing an electricity supply agreement was an essential condition for the project to go ahead.

The tariff agreement signed in 2017 with the state-owned company was set to expire in 2029.

François Legault’s government says the agreement allows for greater profit sharing when aluminum prices are favourable and supports competitiveness when prices are lower.

The “significant” investment comes at a difficult time for Quebec’s aluminum industry, which is being hit by 50 per cent U.S. tariffs.

Legault says the agreement represents “a positive signal” for the future of the industry, having previously mentioned the $1-billion investment during debates in the National Assembly in February.

The plant employs approximately 950 people and has an annual production capacity of 630,000 tons of aluminum, representing 20 per cent of Quebec’s production.

The multinational Rio Tinto is the main shareholder with a 40 per cent stake.

The announcement was made in the presence of the premier, Economy Minister Christine Fréchette and the minister responsible for the North Shore region, Kateri Champagne Jourdain.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 4, 2025.