Alvarez similarly specified that this production scheme had been implemented prior to the restriction's start-date.
The current Director of Sidor Industrial, Llanes Rubens, has clarified that the operational function of the plant is planned well in advance. "It is not that one day we arrive and decide to stop or start," said Rubens. "There is operational coordination involved, and there is public information on the company's website which allows each worker to know the current status of the plant in terms of what needs to be committed to daily and the amount of megabytes which will be consumed.
"There are plants that operate for 15 days and then stop, so others may operate," he continued, noting that under the current energy restrictions not all of Sidor's facilities are able to run coinjointly. Rubens further indicated that the May 10 start of hot-rolled coil production will produce tons significant enough to satisfy demand.
During the time hot-rolled coil production is taking place, he added, the steel slab and billet plants will undergo maintenance, necessary to ensure production quality and the safety of workers.
"We estimate that May 9 is when we will begin the scheduled maintenance shut down. We expect to restart slab and billet plants by May 28.
"The important thing to clarify is that Sidor remains committed to the country, and that the company is not paralyzed by restrictions to energy consumption," concluded Alvarez. "Our priority is to work within the national electricity system, while continuing to meet domestic market supply."