Alcoa Advances Australian Gallium Production
Synopsis
The new plant at the Wagerup alumina refinery will strengthen supplies of the critical mineral with backing from Australia, the US and Japan.
Key Highlights
- Alcoa FID’s gallium plant at the Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia
- There are industry partners involved, along with the Australian and US and Japanese governments in backing the project.
- The plant is expected to produce around 10% of the world's gallium.
Alcoa Corp on Wednesday gave a final investment decision (FID) for the construction of a gallium plant at its Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia backed by the Australian, US and Japanese governments and industry partners. The plant is targeted to produce approximately as much as 10% of global gallium supply.
In October, both the US and Australian governments announced support for such a project, a few months after the company signed a joint development agreement with a venture involving the Japanese government and Sojitz Corp.
Construction Begins After Site Completion
Alcoa stated that it will build and operate the facility, with construction subject to final site preparation. Gallium is a raw mineral that functions primarily in the technology sector, with importance in semiconductors and defence.
Focus on Critical Minerals
According to Alcoa, the project represented a commitment to strengthening critical mineral supply chains by governments and industry working together.
To gain assets of bauxite, alumina and aluminium assets from Brazil, South Africa and Western Australia the company reached an agreement earlier this month to buy most of South32’s aluminium holdings for an implied enterprise value of up to $5.6 billion.
Source: Reuters
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