PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Portland smelter, in Victoria, is expected to return to full production shortly, securing the future of more than 650 employees and contractors, Industry and Employment Minister Wade Noonan reported on Monday.
Aluminium major Alcoa in January initiated work to restart smelting capacity, after a five-hour power outage on the Victorian transmission network in December had placed the smelter’s future in jeopardy.
Prior to the electrical fault on the Victorian transmission network, the smelter had been operating at nearly 85% of its nameplate capacity of 385 000 t/y.
Alcoa in January struck a deal with state and federal governments, and signed a new four-year power supply agreement with ASX-listed AGL Energy to secure Portland’s future.
It was estimated that the Victorian government invested some A$200-million to ensure that the plant remained operational for the next four years, with the federal government contributing an estimated A$30-million.
“The Portland Alcoa smelter is critical to the region’s economy and we’re committed to keeping workers in jobs and supporting local manufacturing,” Noonan said on Monday.
“Portland’s economy remains strong thanks to the smelter and businesses such as Keppel Prince and Porthaul, which are expanding and creating more jobs in the region.”
The smelter is Portland’s largest employer and more than 1 600 supply chain and indirect jobs depend on its operation.