South32 owns 86% per cent of Worsley Alumina. Bauxite is mined near the town of Boddington, 130 kilometres south-east of Perth. Picture: Supplied
South32 has received federal environmental approvals for the mining of bauxite at its Worsley Alumina operation in West Australia.
It said on Wednesday that the latest approval was subject to conditions consistent with the State environmental approval received in December.
“The project will enable access to bauxite to sustain production at Worsley Alumina, with mining of bauxite areas located near our existing operations expected to commence in Q4 FY25,” said the company.
“We will now also commence the development of new mining areas that are expected to sustain production to at least FY26.”
Apart from Worsley, South32 also mines for bauxite at Brazil Alumina. The commodity is a key component in the manufacture of alumina, used in the making of aluminum metal.
“The Federal Government’s approval of the Worsley mine development project is a positive outcome for Worsley Alumina and its workforce, the Peel and South West communities, and the local economy,” South32 CEO, Graham Kerr.
Worsley Alumina has been in operation for more than 40 years and is a big employer in West Australia.
Kerr described alumina as a “vital component in the production of aluminium which is a metal critical” to the global energy transition.
In South Africa, South32’s aluminium operations at Hillside raised saleable production by 1% to 362 000 tons in the half-year period to December “as the smelter continued to test its maximum technical capacity, despite the impact of load-shedding”.
Aluminium sales from Hillside firmed up by 10% in the December 2024 quarter as inventories at the mine returned to normal levels.
However, in Mozambique, South32 experienced disruptions to the transportation of of raw materials to the Mozal smelter in December due to the road blockages that characterised the civil unrest rocking the southern African country.
“We subsequently reduced amperage to the potlines, reducing aluminium production capacity by approximately 3%, to preserve raw materials and maintain operational stability,” explained South32.
“In recent weeks, we have re-built alumina stocks at the smelter as we successfully implemented contingency plans and road blockages eased.”
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