Alcoa has announced it will permanently shut the Kwinana alumina refinery, which fully curtailed production last year, following “numerous studies and analyses” on the future of the site. According to a statement from the bauxite, alumina and aluminium company on Tuesday, factors behind the decision included the refinery’s age, scale and operating costs, as well…
A new $10 million initiative has been launched to grow Australia’s domestic green metals sector for the iron, steel, alumina and aluminium industries.
The Heavy Industry Low-Carbon Transition Co-operative Research Centre (HILT CRC) has launched a flagship three-year project on energy infrastructure to help guide heavy industry decarbonisation. The project will provide clear, data-driven estimates of energy costs to inform government policy and enable heavy industry to plan its decarbonisation pathway. ‘Unlocking investment in energy infrastructure for net-zero…
Industry association the Australian Aluminium Council has recommenced its efforts to have bauxite, alumina and aluminium added to the nation’s list of critical minerals, releasing a new report on supply chain risks and urging the government not to let aluminium “become the new nickel”. In a statement on Thursday, the council said that expanding the…
Alcoa Corporation has announced the completion of its acquisition of Alumina Limited, taking control of the AWAC joint venture whose assets comprise bauxite mines and alumina and aluminium refineries in Australia, Brazil, Spain, Saudi Arabia and Guinea. The takeover increases Alcoa’s economic interest in its core business and simplifys governance by acquiring the minority partner…
Environmental Clean Technologies in lignite-based soil improvement hook up Industrial technology group Environmental Clean Technologies has signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with ESG Agriculture for the development and offtake of soil health products. This HoA is a precursor to a Joint Venture (JV) between the companies in developing a lignite-based nitrogen soil health product,…
International metals company Rio Tinto has announced that it will build two new 5.25 megawatt solar farms on its leases in the Northern Territory’s Gove Peninsula. In a statement on Wednesday morning (Australian time), Rio said the solar farms will be in Gumatj and Rirratjingu country, following agreement with traditional owner groups on the facilities’…
The federal government has announced $330 million in grants for clean energy and emissions reduction projects at heavy industrial sites around the country. The government’s Powering the Regions Fund is supporting nine projects ranging from powering mine sites with renewables, eliminating the use of coal in iron pellet production, trialling the use of biocarbon in…
Miner and aluminium producer Rio Tinto has doubled down on its moves to decarbonise the aluminium production chain announcing a second and Australia’s largest renewable power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply its Gladstone operations in Queensland. The company has agreed to buy the majority of electricity from Windlab’s planned 1.4GW Bungaban wind energy project. The…
Rio Tinto will drive development of Australia’s largest solar power project near Gladstone, Queensland after agreeing to buy all electricity from the 1.1GW1 Upper Calliope Solar Farm to provide renewable power to Rio Tinto’s Gladstone operations. The agreement will bring more renewable power into one of Australia’s most important industrial hubs and marks another step…