From a Hydro perspective, the impact from the Coronavirus situation is becoming more visible in the Extruded Solutions business area with an increasing number of sites affected by the situation with reduced production at several sites.

In the Primary Metal business area, the recycler Azuqueca in Spain has been temporarily idled this week while remaining recyclers and primary aluminium plants are challenged by markets and government-imposed restrictions.

Hydro’s corporate emergency team continues to work closely with all business areas to coordinate contingency planning and implement mitigating measures across the company to ensure safe working environment at plants and preparedness plans fit for purpose.

Hydro is supplying material and products to customers having key roles in the handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Selected deliveries to the health sector include Hydro Extrusion Spain supplying profiles for three new field hospitals and Hydro Cressona supplying extrusions used to make emergency response equipment and key infrastructure, supporting customers deemed critical to fight COVID-19.

People impact

• All sites continue to follow Hydro COVID-19 production guidance or country rules, whatever is stricter, with guidance frequently reviewed as more facts on the virus becomes available.
• Plants in the Benelux region and in Sweden have supported local hospitals with safety protective equipment.
• Hydro’s part-owned joint venture Albras in Brazil has donated property to the municipality of Barcarena, which will be used as a field hospital in the combat of COVID-19.
• Collaboration with public authorities in Belèm, Brazil, to supply mineral water to the shelter created by the State Government of Pará, starting with donation of 51,000 liters of mineral water in the Mangueirão stadium.

Operational impact

• Bauxite & Alumina: Operations mostly running as normal. Significant market uncertainty.
• Energy: Operations mostly running as normal. Significant market uncertainty.
• Primary Metal: Primary production operations mostly running as normal. Recycler Azuqueca, Spain, temporarily idled this week, while recyclers Luce in France and Clervaux in Luxembourg were temporarily idled last week. Significant market uncertainty.
• Rolled Products: Operations mostly running as normal, but impact expected as customers closing production, particularly in the automotive sector.
• Extruded Solutions: An increasing number of sites affected by the situation with reduced production at several sites. Around 45 percent of the sites running at approximately normal levels, around 35 percent running at reduced levels and around 20 percent either closed or running at very low levels.