New Maintenance Contract for Aker Kaerner in Norway

Hydro Aluminium have signed a new five year maintenance contract with Aker Kvaerner covering maintenance work on Hydro's plant in Hoyanger, West-Norway. The contract value is estimated at approximately NOK135m.

Aker Kvaerner Industrial Maintenance, (legal name Aker Kvaerner Industrielt Vedlikehold), Hoyanger branch, West-Norway, shall carry out the work scheduled to begin on 1 October 2004 and continue to 30 September 2009.

Hydro decided to renegotiate the contract with Aker Kvaerner for five new years. At all other Norwegian plants Hydro Aluminium has chosen another partner for maintenance, HPP (Hydro's own maintenance company).

In 1999 Kvaerner took over a total of 89 blue collar workers from Hydro Aluminium and established a maintenance department in Hoyanger, based on a five-year agreement. Today Aker Kvaerner Industrial Maintenance has 106 employees in Hoyanger. The Hydro contract accounts for approximately 65 per cent of the department's turnover.

The old Soderberg technology for production of aluminium does not meet future emission requirements and has to be shut down in 2007. This means changes to personnel and the companies in the region.