NEW YORK: Aluminum producer Alcoa said the smelter at Maaden, Saudi Arabia, which is in its start-up phase, has temporarily stopped production on one of two potlines.

The company said the potline was shut down “after a period of pot instability.” It does not expect any impact on customers.

Maaden, a $10.8 billion facility with smelter capacity of 740,000 tons per year, is run by a joint venture between Alcoa and Saudi Arabian Mining Co.

The affected potline should be back online between the first and second quarter of 2014, and ramp-up at the unaffected line will speed up.

The rest of the operation — which includes a mine, a refinery and a rolling mill — remains on schedule, Alcoa said.