Located adjacent to the township of Anglesea, Alcoa’s freehold land totals approximately 143 hectares and approximately 787 hectares of unreserved leased Crown Land. For almost five decades, Anglesea was home to our power station and mine site.
Following the permanent shut down of operations in 2015, we began to rehabilitate and close the mine, and decommission and remediate the power station with a view to establish a suitable long-term plan that would release potential within Alcoa landholdings for the benefit of the Anglesea community and wider region.
The complex project is managed by Alcoa’s local team and backed by the company’s global project and asset management group. Together, experts in environmental remediation, facility decommissioning, project management and community engagement work within regulatory frameworks to restore the site to a land use that is safe and stable for future generations.
Our strong commitment to values of health, safety and protection of the environment are key priorities for this project, and community consultation and engagement continue to guide project activities.
Community Engagement
We place a high importance on stakeholder consultation and take pride in our proactive approach to community engagement. Our broad engagement activities to date have ensured community and key stakeholder feedback is well considered in our decision making. Engagement will remain a priority throughout the project.
Read more about the community engagement here.
Future land planning
In parallel with the decommissioning and rehabilitation activities, and underpinned by broad community consultation, Alcoa is planning for the future use of the former mine and power station site. The process to develop these plans began with the establishment of Guiding Principles, which were developed with the community and key stakeholders.
Read more about the future land plans here.
Eden Project Anglesea Concept
In May 2019, Alcoa and the Eden Project, the UK-based educational and environmental charity and social enterprise, commenced community consultation to gain feedback on a concept for a world class eco-tourism attraction within the former mine site.
Rehabilitation and closure of the mine
The Minerals Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 provides the framework for rehabilitation and closure of the mine site as it applies to the coal mine operations under the Mines (Aluminium Agreement) Act 1961 (MAAA).
In September 2017, following broad community consultation, Alcoa submitted the Draft Anglesea Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan to the Victorian’s Government’s Earth Resources Regulation.
Read more about the mine here.
Decommissioning and remediation of the power station site
We manage the power station decommissioning consistent with the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure 1999 (as amended 2013). The Victorian EPA sets the regulatory standards for our activities through the statutory Clean Up Notice issued to Alcoa in October 2015.
In 2019, the power station and surrounding infrastructure was decommissioned and removed. Environmental remediation activities are underway.
