Alcoa Australia announced the immediate reduction of Portland Aluminium Smelter’s overall production due to operational instability.
According to Alcoa, the Portland Aluminium Smelter’s production will be reduced to about 75% of the site’s overall consolidated capacity of 258,000 metric tonnes per year (mtpy). Alcoa’s share of the total capacity is 197,000 mtpy. The smelter, which has 408 pots, was previously operating at approximately 95% of its total capacity.
Alcoa reported that the smelter has recently encountered instability and challenges associated with the production of rodded anodes, which are necessary to deliver electricity into the smelting pots.
“Our teams are focused on safely taking the production offline and working to restore stability across the facility. Completing this task in a controlled fashion is our priority as we work to improve operations,” Vice President of Operations – Australia Rob Bear said.
Portland Aluminium is a joint venture between Alcoa Australia, CITIC Nominees Pty Ltd, and Marubeni Aluminium Australia.
