Strategic Assessment of Current and Future Mining
In February 2026, Alcoa committed to further modernising our approvals under federal environmental law.
As part of this, we will undertake a Strategic Assessment of current operational areas, as well as potential future mine areas (excluding Myara North and Holyoake) through to 2045 across Huntly and Willowdale mines. This long‑term assessment will provide greater clarity for stakeholders on our future mine plans across the region.
Operations at both mines will continue while the Strategic Assessment takes place under a National Interest Exemption granted by the Federal Government in recognition of the important contributions our operations make to the Australian economy.
Strategic Assessment Overview
The Strategic Assessment covers:
- Both the Huntly and Willowdale mines
- Current areas of operation
- Potential future mine regions out to 2045
Only a portion of the strategic assessment area will ever be mined or used for mining operations. The Strategic Assessment Area is defined at a broad, landscape scale and includes many places that will not be disturbed.
We do not mine in areas such as:
- private property
- Alcoa’s committed Mining Avoidance Zones like those near Dwellingup and Jarrahdale
- National Parks
- Old Growth Forest
- other areas of high conservation value, such as stream zones.
Next Steps
Alcoa has entered into a formal agreement to conduct the Strategic Assessment. We will now work with the federal Government to develop the terms of the assessment process that will be published on the Department of Climate Change, Energy the Environment and Water website.
Following this, Alcoa will prepare the draft Strategic Impact Assessment Report and Plan, which describes the potential and cumulative impacts of past, current and future mining on Matters of National Environmental Significance, and the ways that we propose to avoid, minimise and offset these impacts.
A public comment period will follow.
Following this public consultation, Alcoa finalises the Strategic Impact Assessment Report and Plan, taking into account the comments from the public, the federal environment department and any other stakeholders, and submits it for consideration by the Federal Environment Minister.
