Paranam is a town in the Para District, Suriname. Paranam was created in 1938 for a bauxite factory. In 1965, an aluminium smelter was added. The factories closed down in 2017.

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Paranam
Suralco bauxite factory at Paranam
Paranam Location within Suriname
Coordinates: 5°36′26″N 55°5′24″W
Country	Suriname
District	Para District
Resort	Oost
Time zone	UTC-3 (ART)

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There used to be a little hamlet called Klein Curaçao at the location.^[1] Paranam was created in 1938 when Alcoa began building a plant to support new mining areas along the Suriname River.^[1] Built on a former plantation, the facility was called Paranam after the Para and Suriname Rivers which border the mining concession areas. The Paranam mine began operations in 1941.^[2] Alcoa operates worldwide through a joint ventures, and the operation in Suriname is called The Suriname Aluminum Company (or Suralco).^[3] A market and theatre were built in town, however most workers remained in Paramaribo.^[4]

In 1965, an aluminium smelter was opened in Paranam which operated on the electricity generated by the Afobaka Dam.^[5] The smelter converts bauxite to produce approximately 3,150 metric tons of alumina each day at this location.^[6][7] Paranam became the first location in the world with an integrated system where the earth was transformed into aluminium.^[8] In 2015, Alcoa announced that it was going to close the factories, because the local supplies were exhausted, and the factories could not handle the bauxite from the Bakhuis Mountains.^[9] The factories closed down in 2017.^[10]

Due to the deep water available on the Suriname River, Paranam is a port accessible to oceangoing ships. A pilot is required.^[11]

• Hélène Ramjiawan (1952–2021), children's book author^[12]