THE company responsible for pioneering the alumina industry in Australia this year marks its 40th year of operations in WA.
Alcoa started in 1957 as a product of gold miner Western Mining Corporation (now WMC Resources Limited).
Exploration of the bauxite deposits in the Darling Range got under way with mining engineer Lindesay Clark at the helm.
With two Broken Hill allies, and despite numerous obstacles, an alliance was formed with the global giant Aluminium Company of America.
Then, in 1961, Alcoa of Australia became incorporated and opened bauxite mines after being granted a bauxite lease by the WA government.
By 1963 the idea of an integrated aluminium industry in Australia began to take shape with the opening of a power station and aluminium smelter at Point Henry near Geelong, Victoria.
That year, the first ingot was poured at Point Henry using US alumina.
More significantly for WA, the first bauxite was delivered from Jarrahdale in July that year and in October, the Kwinana alumina refinery commenced operation.
Today, Alcoa is an integral part of WA’s economy, contributing around $100 million to the State in royalty revenues and employing more than 4,300 Western Australians out of a total Australian workforce of 6,580.
The company’s operations in WA include three alumina refineries – at Kwinana, Pinjarra and Wagerup – and two bauxite mines, at Huntly and Willowdale.
On the east coast, the company has two aluminium smelters – at Point Henry and Portland in Victoria – and rolling mills at Point Henry and at Yennora in New South Wales.
The company also owns and operates a brown coal mine and power station at Anglesea, Victoria.
Alcoa is Australia’s sixth largest resource exporter and produces almost half of Australia’s total alumina, with 15 per cent of the world’s alumina produced in WA.
Alcoa produces 7.7 million tonnes of alumina a year and more than 540,000 tonnes of aluminium a year – generating $2.8 billion in export sales annually.
Total assets of the company are valued at $3.6 billion.
