January 5, 2006 EPA reports on alumina refinery expansion
Alcoa’s proposed $1.5 billion expansion of its Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia moved a step closer today after the Environmental Protection Authority released its formal assessment of the project.
Alcoa of Australia Managing Director Wayne Osborn said he was confident Alcoa could meet the conditions recommended by the EPA for the project to proceed.
“This is a pleasing outcome from such a comprehensive environmental assessment and we now look forward to Environment Minister Edwards' decision on the project,” he said.
“Alcoa has already committed that Wagerup Three will meet rigorous conditions to provide the community with confidence that the expansion is safe and responsible.
“The EPA recommendations confirm the Wagerup refinery meets the most stringent environmental and health guidelines and will continue to do so under an expansion.”
In its report released today the EPA states: “The studies and investigations carried out to date have consistently shown that predicted and measured ground level concentrations of compounds emitted from the refinery meet established national and international air quality health standards. The studies and investigations have not demonstrated any specific causal link between: individual compounds or mixture of compounds emitted from the refinery; or particular refinery sources, and health issues reported in the area.”
“We have addressed the issues between Alcoa and the community and worked hard to rebuild their trust and confidence in us,” Mr Osborn said.
The proposed expansion involved building a third production unit at Wagerup refinery and significantly upgrading existing plant to improve production efficiency and environmental outcomes.
The project would deliver major economic benefits, including 3,000 new direct and indirect jobs, over A$11 million a year extra State Government revenue and A$17 billion in additional export revenue over the project life.
There would be over 1,500 direct jobs created during the construction phase and over 150 new permanent Alcoa jobs.
There would also be significant benefits for regional businesses and communities through the extra work opportunities and local spending.
The Wagerup refinery already spends over A$44 million a year with businesses in the local area.
Mr Osborn said alumina was in high demand worldwide due to aluminium’s multi-purpose capabilities and ability to be recycled repeatedly. The lightweight, super strong metal is used in everything from housing construction and household products to automotive and aerospace parts.
The Wagerup expansion proposal would boost alumina production capacity at the refinery from 2.6 million tonnes a year to around 4.7 million tonnes a year.
Early WA Government approval of the project would allow Alcoa to move into the detailed engineering phase and focus on a viable execution strategy taking account of the WA construction market and world market conditions.
