YEKATERINBURG, September 3 - RAPSI. The Sverdlovsk Regional Prosecutor's Office has issued a warning to Oleg Deripaska, the tycoon that owns Russian aluminum giant RUSAL, over the situation developing at the Bogoslovsk Aluminum Smelter in the Urals, where the company is considering winding up its electrolytic production, the office reports on Monday.

"The regional prosecutor's office is holding an inspection in light of the planned termination of employees at the smelter," the office said. "During the inspection, the regional prosecutor issued a warning on August 31 to RUSAL CEO Deripaska on the inadmissibility of breaching federal law."

RUSAL's board has approved a long-term program to reduce primary aluminum production at four smelters by 275,000 tonnes. Earlier, the company said the high power tariffs at the Bogoslovsk smelter make retooling economically nonviable. The smelter employs about 1,000 people.

An extraordinary commission comprising company representatives, local ministers, prosecutors and the city administration have been set up at the plant to resolve the situation.

After its first meeting on Friday, RUSAL Global Management B.V. Director for Government Relations Oleg Vaitman told journalists that the company can construct a new electrolytic facility at the plant for $1.4-1.5 billion if the power tariffs are reduced.

Moreover, the company does not plan to discharge its personnel and will offer them new jobs at its other facilities.

Workers have held two rallies protesting the closing of the plant's electrolytic facility.

RUSAL is the world's largest aluminum producer with a 10 percent share of both the world's aluminum and alumina output. It operates in 19 countries and sells its production in Europe, North America and Southeast Asia.