Comalco ready for expansion

Press, 29 August 1979, Page 22

Comalco ready for expansion

NZPA Brisbane The consortium led by Comalco, Ltd, plans to double the size of its Gladstone Aluminium, Ltd, smelter project. A total investment over the next 10 years, of more than SIOOOM will be made, Comalco’s chairman (Sir Donald Hibberb) says. Construction of the first stage of the smelter worth S6OOM will begin within two months, and this is expected to be producing 206,000 tonnes of aluminium a year from two potlines by 1985. Comalco, in a letter to the Premier of Queensland (Mr Joh Bjelke-Petersen) says that it plans to add another two potlines by 1989, which will raise total production to 400,000 tonnes a year. Comalco’s announcement comes after the New South Wales Government’s decision last week to approve plans by Aluminium Pechiney, of France, for a 220,000-tonne smelter in ,the Hunter Valley.

i In addition, Alcan Alumin- ; ium is conducting a feasibil- • ity study on establishing its iown 100,000 tonne smelter lat Gladstone. i The Comalco smelter will >be built at Boyne Island, south of Gladstone. At the two potline stage, net export earnings would be about SI3OM a year, which would double with four potlines. All of the allumina required by the smelter will be supplied out of Comalco’s 30.3 per cent share of the output of Queensland Alumina, Ltd. The participants in the Gladstone Aluminium, Ltd, smelter will be Comalco, 30 per cent: Kaiser Aluminium and Chemical Corporation, 20 per cent: Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, 17 per cent; Kobe Steel, Ltd, 9.5 per cent; Mitsubishi Corporation, 9.5 per cent; Yoshida Kogyo KK, 95 per cent; and Sumitomo Aluminium Smelting Company, Ltd, 4.5 per cent. Representatives of these participants have met in Tokyo to sign agreements for the final commitment for the first two potlines.