Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals is a joint venture between Alumina Limited (40% share) and Alcoa (60% share) and is abbreviated to AWAC. AWAC's business is the mining of bauxite,[1] the extraction of alumina (aluminium oxide) and the smelting of aluminium. It has about 25% of the global alumina market. Alcoa acts as the day-to-day manager.
Alcoa has two smelters in Victoria, located at Portland and Point Henry in Victoria. It has three alumina refineries in Western Australia, located at Kwinana Beach, Pinjarra and Wagerup, and two bauxite mines at Huntly and Willowdale, also in Western Australia.[2]
See main article: Portland aluminium smelter. The Portland smelter produces about 360,000 tonnes of aluminium a year, and is Victoria's largest single exporter.[2] [3]
See main article: Point Henry smelter. The Point Henry smelter commenced full production on April 4, 1963. It has a production capacity of 185,000 tonnes of aluminium a year.[4] March 20, 1969, saw Alcoa's own brown coal-fired Anglesea Power Station brought on line at augment the electricity supply from the Victorian grid.[5] The Point Henry smelter closed in 2014.
AWAC has other operations in Brazil, Guinea, Jamaica, Suriname, Spain, and the USA