Comalco plans new aluminium smelter

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32563, 24 March 1971, Page 26

Comalco plans new aluminium smelter

LV.Z.P.A.-Reuter— Copyright) SYDNEY, March 23. The chairman of Comalco, Ltd (Mr D. J. Hibbard), said at the first annual meeting that the company had been planning a smelter at Gladstone for some time, and hoped to make an announcement later this year.

Discussions with the Queensland Government, about power for a smelter from the new generating station at Gladstone, were well advanced but nothing definite had been decided. Comalco is a partner (with Kaiser, Alcan and Pechiney)

in Queensland Alumina, Ltd’s refinery at Gladstone, and Comalco’s share of the alumina is then shipped to Tasmania for smelting at the Bell Bay Plant. Later this year part of Comalco’s share from the growing output of Gladstone will be sent to Bluff for smelting. Comalco is also planning a refinery on the site of its massive bauxite deposits at Weipa in Queensland. Last year the company said that it was seriously considering a refinery at Weipa with an initial annual output of 600,000 tons, but no firm decisions have yet been announced. However, the projected refinery at Weipa is nearer than a smelter at Gladstone.

Mr Hibberd said that the the Commonwealth Government’s suspension of the investment tax allowance (one of Mr Gorton’s recent antiinflationary moves) threatened the establishment of the Weipa plant. The directors were concerned about the effect the withdrawal of the allowance would have on plans for the plant, but they could not aruge against suspension of the allowance in the present inflationary climate. “Although realisation of the plan lies some years ahead, the directors have thought it necessary to ask the Commonwealth Government to make an early announcement on its intention to remove the suspension as soon as general economic conditions permit,” Mr Hibberd said.