Alcoa Announced Plans to Curtail Operations at Kwinana Alumina Refinery

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Pittsburgh-based Alcoa Corporation announced plans to curtail production at its Kwinana Alumina Refinery in Western Australia during the current year. The process will commence in Q2. It must be noted that the refinery has been operating at around 80% of its total annual nameplate production capacity of 2.2 million metric tons since January last year.

Commenting on the decision, Matt Reed, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Alcoa said that it is based on a variety of factors, including its age, scale, operating costs and current bauxite grades. The current weak market conditions also has been cited as a reason behind the decision.

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The company said that the decision follows a thorough and careful deliberation. It admitted that the action is going to impact workers, business partners, and the community. It appreciated the commitment and support of its loyal employees, contractors and suppliers, in helping to make major contributions to Western Australia’s economy over the past six decades.

Alcoa plans phased reduction of employee count from 800 at the start of the current year to around 250 by Q3, when alumina production will come to an end. Minimal operations will continue until Q3 2025, when employee count will be further reduced to around 50.