Worsley Alumina

Worsley Alumina
Location
	Worsley Alumina Location in Western Australia
Location	Worsley, Western Australia
State	Western Australia
Country	Australia
Coordinates	33°13′45″S 116°04′36″E / 33.2291429°S 116.0767335°E
Production
Products	Alumina
Production	4,377 kilotonnes (9.6 billion pounds)
Financial year	2018
Type	Open pit
History
Opened	1984
Owner
Company	South32 (86%) Japan Alumina Associated (10%) Sojitz Alumina Pty Ltd (4%)
Website	www.south32.net/our-operations/australia/worsley-alumina
Year of acquisition	2015

Worsley Alumina comprises a bauxite mine located near the town of Boddington and an Alumina refinery located near Worsley.^[1]^[3] Ore is mined then transported 50 km (31 mi) to the refinery via an overland conveyor system. Alumina is then transported 55 km (34 mi) to the port of Bunbury for shipping.

Bauxite Mine

The Boddington Bauxite Mine is located south of the town of Boddington, and comprises the two sites of Saddleback and Marradong. The orebody exists as a hardcap layer of between 2–12 metres (6 ft 7 in – 39 ft 4 in) thick, it is drilled and blasted before bulldozers can access the softer ore below. The ore is first crushed to a diameter less than 18 cm (7.1 in) before a second stage reduces it to 3 cm (1.2 in).^[4]

In the current approved Life of Operation Plan, total ore reserves are scheduled to be depleted by 30 June 2035.^[1]^: 57

Alumina Refinery

The refinery, also owned by South32, uses a four-stage Bayer Process to transform the red bauxite rock into white alumina powder. It is powered by coal, producing 3.7 million tonnes (8.2 billion pounds) of carbon per year averaged for 2017–2021, making it the fourth-biggest carbon polluter in Western Australia. The carbon intensity of Worsley Alumina is 820 kilograms per tonne (13.1 ounces per pound) of CO₂ per alumina produced.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Annual Report 2018" (PDF). South32. South32 Limited. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
^ "Worsley Alumina". South32. South32. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
^ "Hotham Mine Expansion and Refinery Production Increase S38 Referral Supporting Report" (PDF). Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). South32 Worsley Alumina Pty Ltd. May 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
^ "Boddington". Australian Aluminium Council. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
^ Milne, Peter (3 May 2021). "South32's coal-fired Worsley Alumina two-thirds dirtier than Alcoa". Boiling Cold. Retrieved 6 November 2021.