Alcoa resumes operations with 95% strength in its Portland Aluminium smelter

On 22 December, news came floating that Alcoa’s Portland Aluminium smelter has resumed production with an annual capacity of 35,000 metric tonnes. The production had been reduced up until now in the Victoria-based Australian aluminium smelter.

As soon as the reboot was successful, Portland Aluminium began producing almost 95 per cent of its actual capacity of 358,000 metric tonnes. Around 186,000 metric tonnes of Alcoa’s consolidated capacity is now in the pipeline. 

The Acting Operations Manager of Portland Aluminium, Mark Crespan, claimed that the prompt optimisation of the 40th and final most pot for the Line 2 East project could be attributed to the intense effort spent by a huge team of expert individuals, all backed by a broad cluster of Australian and international enthusiasts.

Mark Crespan commented: “Reinstatement of the idled equipment after 13 years involved considerable refurbishment of the pots and associated infrastructure. I am very proud of the commitment of the Portland Aluminium workforce – it has been a real team effort and a very rewarding project that will use more of the smelter’s capabilities.”

The project has opened approximately 30 new job opportunities in the aluminium smelter, transforming the Portland area with a massive operational impact.

Portland inked a memorandum of energy agreement with AGL, Alinta Energy and Origin on 1 August 2021, through which it was going to receive power for five years. The deal has been revisited a second time, increasing the duration by another four years.

Alcoa of Australia Limited owns a 55 per cent stake in Portland Aluminium, while CITIC Nominees Pty Ltd flaunts 22.5 per cent and Marubeni Aluminium Australia Pty Ltd 22.5 per cent. Alcoa of Australia has 60 per cent of its stakes under Alcoa Corporation and 40 per cent under Alumina Limited.

During the month of July, there were talks about Aloft acquiring Alcoa's Portland operations. 

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