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Media Information
Alcoa of Australia Ltd, trading as Alcoa World Alumina (Alcoa), has been a major contributor to the development and growth of infrastructure inWestern Australia since it started operations 40 years ago.
Through Alcoa, Western Australia is recognised as a major global alumina player. Alcoa is able to harness the natural advantages of Western Australian bauxite with its world class technology and manufacturing expertise, further cementing the State as a major commodity producer and exporter of value-added products.
Alcoa’s Pinjarra Refinery Efficiency Upgrade was approved by the Western Australian Government in February 2004 and will significantly reduce atmospheric emissions.
Specifically, these include the reduction of:
- volatile organic compounds in emissions by 10 percent;
- particulate emission overall from the refinery’s calciners by 25 per cent; and
- carbon monoxide emissions by an estimated 90 percent.
The $550 million project will increase its efficiency and capacity to meet increasing worldwide demand for alumina.
Commissioned in 1972, the Pinjarra Refinery is located six kilometres east of the rural town of Pinjarra, about 90 kilometres south of Perth, and is one of the most successful and cost efficient alumina refineries in the world - currently producing about seven per cent of the world’s alumina.
The Pinjarra Refinery Efficiency Upgrade is one of the largest approved projects in the global Alcoa alumina business and will deliver extra production while also reducing emissions.
The Efficiency Upgrade will reduce Greenhouse emissions per tonne of alumina. Refinery process improvements will mean a better use of natural resources and a reduction in the energy intensity (energy used per tonne of product) of alumina produced.
Through the project, the Pinjarra Refinery has upgraded its existing equipment with best-practice technology; installed new emissions control technology, and increased its alumina production capacity at Pinjarra by 17 per cent (an extra 660,000 tonnes per annum) to 4.2 million tonnes per annum.
Project Manager: Phil Campbell
Project Sponsor: Alcoa World Alumina Australia
Constructor: Alcoa World Alumina Australia
Construction Period: 22 months
Project Value: $550 million
Project Status: Environmental approval was granted by the WA State Government in February 2004 and Pinjarra Efficiency Upgrade construction work started in June 2004.
Project completion: The construction phase of the project is due for completion by in early 2006.
Structural Engineers: Alcoa Hatch Engineering Alliance.
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