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Alcoa operates the world’s largest integrated bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting and rolling system in Australia – adding value to Australia’s resources at every stage. Our operations include:
- bauxite mines and alumina refineries in Western Australia
- aluminium smelters in Victoria
- aluminium rolling mills and recycling plants in Victoria and NSW
- dedicated port facilities in WA and Victoria
- the Anglesea power station in Victoria
- Alcoa Farmlands in WA
Alcoa of Australia operates the mines, refineries and smelters, while the separate business of Alcoa Australia Rolled Products operates the rolled products plants.
Together, these two businesses directly employ more than 7000 people, predominantly in regional Australia.
The aluminium production process starts in Western Australia where Alcoa operates the Huntly and Willowdale bauxite mines in the Darling Range south of Perth. The two mines supply bauxite to Alcoa’s alumina refineries at Kwinana, Pinjarra and Wagerup. The refineries extract alumina from the bauxite. The Huntly Mine is the world’s biggest bauxite mine.
Alcoa operates two aluminium smelters in Victoria, at Point Henry in Geelong and Portland. Portland Aluminium is a unincorporated joint venture project between Alcoa of Australia Limited (45%), Eastern Aluminium (Portland) Pty Ltd (10%), CITIC Nominees Pty Limited (22.5%) and Marubeni Aluminium Australia Pty Ltd (22.5%). Eastern Aluminium (Portland) Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcoa of Australia Limited. Alcoa Portland Aluminium Pty Ltd, also a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcoa of Australia Limited, manages the day to day operation of the smelter on behalf of the participants.
Our Victorian operations also include a coal mine and power station at Anglesea which supplies around 40% of the electricity needed to power the Point Henry smelter and rolled products plant.
Alcoa Australia Rolled Products has operations at Point Henry in Victoria and Yennora in Western Sydney, producing rolled aluminium products for beverage cans, wine screw tops, pharmaceutical packaging, building materials, road signs and boats. Alcoa Australia Rolled Products is the only manufacturer of aluminium rolled products in Australia and is also the largest recycler of aluminium in the country, recycling around 70,000 tonnes of aluminium at Yennora.
On average, Alcoa in Australia mines 32 million tonnes of bauxite, 8.7 million tonnes of alumina and 545,000 tonnes of aluminium and 190,000 tonnes of aluminium rolled products every year.
Alcoa produces around 47% of Australia’s alumina and 30% of aluminium. Our alumina production also accounts for 11% of total world demand.
Alcoa’s other operations in Australia are Alcoa Wheel Products Australia which distributes aluminium truck wheels and Alcoa Fastening Systems Australia which manufactures and distributes specialist fasteners.
Alcoa of Australia Limited is 60% owned by Alcoa Inc. and 40% by Alumina Limited. Alcoa Australia Rolled Products, Alcoa Wheel Products Australia and Alcoa Fastening Systems Australia are owned 100% by Alcoa Inc.
Significant Contributor to the Australian Economy
Alcoa has been investing in Australia for over 40 years. Our total investment has been greater than $12 billion.
We produce almost 50% of Australia’s alumina and 30% of its aluminium, and around 80 cents in every export dollar earned by Alcoa stays in Australia.
Alcoa is one of Australia’s leading exporters, contributing around $5 billion in exports per year or equivalent to around 2 per cent of Australia’s total exports. We are Victoria’s largest exporter with $1.6 billion in exports - accounting for around 8% of Victoria’s goods exports or 5% of total exports. Alcoa is also a leading WA exporter, accounting for around 5% of the State’s exports.
We distribute approximately $3.5 billion per year in Australia, on wages, local suppliers, royalties, taxes, rates and dividends. Our operations directly and indirectly create over $3 billion in value adding in Australia. Spending each year in Australia is approximately $1.3 billion per annum. In addition, Alcoa contributes almost $1 billion to Federal, State and Local Government revenues each year.
Underpinning Energy Infrastructure
Alcoa is a 20% owner in the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline which has delivered stable, low-cost energy supplies to businesses and communities in the South West of WA. We also have gas exploration agreements in WA with Buru Energy and Latent Petroleum.
Our construction of Portland Aluminium in the 1980s enabled the Victorian State Government to develop the Loy Yang Power complex - allowing Victorian industry and households to enjoy the economic benefits of access to low cost energy. Portland Aluminium was the catalyst for the construction of a high voltage line from Geelong to Portland and an interstate interconnector between Victoria and South Australia.
Read more about Energy Management.
Leader in Environmental Management
Alcoa is a recognised world leader in mine site rehabilitation, and was the first mining company in the world to achieve 100% of plant species richness in our rehabilitated mine site areas.
Over the past 25 years we have committed more than $22 million to community, environmental and conservation projects in Australia.
Alcoa was the first mining company in the world to be recognised by the United Nations Environmental Program by inclusion in its Global 500 Roll of Honour.
Our WA bauxite mining operations received a prestigious 2007 Golden Gecko award, recognising environmental excellence our closure, remediation and rehabilitation of the our first bauxite mine at Jarrahdale. This was our second Golden Gecko award.
In partnership with Greening Australia, Alcoa won a United Nations Association of Australia award in 2008 for the conservation and restoration of the land around our Point Henry operations in Geelong.
In 2007, we received the Water Recycling Award at the WA Water Awards for our leadership in the sustainable use of water.
Read our latest Sustainability Report.
Part of the Solution to Climate Change
Alcoa has taken a voluntary global leadership position on addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2003, Alcoa worldwide achieved its target of reducing global direct greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from a base year of 1990. Since 2003, this has been further reduced to 33% below 1990 levels.
In Australia, Alcoa is reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency, productivity improvements and new technology.
We have reduced direct greenhouse emissions per tonne of production:
- aluminium smelters – by 61% from 1990 levels
- alumina refineries – by 11% from 1990 levels
- aluminium rolling operations – by 16% from 1990 levels
Alcoa’s operations in Australia are among the most greenhouse and energy efficient in the world - alumina produced by Alcoa in Australia uses just over half the energy and produces less than half the greenhouse emissions compared with most alumina produced in China.
Our award-winning ‘carbon capture’ technology, developed at Kwinana in WA, locks up large amounts of CO2 which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.
Alcoa, in partnership with Alinta, operates energy efficient cogeneration power units at our sites in WA to supply electricity to the grid and steam to the refinery.
Aluminium is endlessly recyclable and light weight which affords significant greenhouse benefits - every kilogram of aluminium used in a car potentially saves a net 20 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions over the car’s life.
Read more about Alcoa and climate change.
Partnering Stronger Communities
Last year Alcoa invested more than $6 million in partnerships to help build stronger communities. Our partnerships fall under six key themes: Conservation & Sustainability; Future Leaders of Industry; Stronger Communities; Arts for Everyone; Safe & Healthy Children and Families; and Volunteering.
Alcoa has a commitment to employee volunteering and runs an annual Worldwide Month of Service each October when we celebrates our volunteers.
We invest around $22 million on training in Australia each year, including $8 million for apprentices and trainees, helping to build skills in local communities. We have trained over 1500 apprentices.
Read more about partnerships.
Read more about Alcoa careers.
Aluminium … part of our everyday lives
Aluminium is integral to our everyday lives, it’s used in trains, planes, cars and buses, laptops, mobile phones, DVDs, building construction, outdoor furniture, screw cap bottle tops, beverage cans, aluminium foil and so much more …
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