<p>Alcoa Corp last week said that it would restart 35 000 tonnes a year of long-curtailed capacity at its Portland aluminium smelter in Australia, which will take operations at the plant to around 95% of capacity amid tight supply for the metal. The process of restarting the capacity, idled since 2009, will begin immediately with metal output to start in the third quarter of 2022</p><p>Alcoa Australia President Mr Michael Gollschewski said "Restarting the idle capacity improves the smelter's cost structure, competitiveness and longer term sustainability."</p><p>The restart is expected to cost about $28-million, split between the smelter's co-owners Alcoa, Australia's Alumina Ltd, and arms of CITIC Resources and Japan's Marubeni Corp. </p><p>The Portland smelter, with total capacity of 358,000 tonnes a year, earlier this year won government aid to remain open for five more years after Alcoa threatened to close it in a drive to cut costs and carbon emissions.</p>
<p>Alcoa Corp last week said that it would restart 35 000 tonnes a year of long-curtailed capacity at its Portland aluminium smelter in Australia, which will take operations at the plant to around 95% of capacity amid tight supply for the metal. The process of restarting the capacity, idled since 2009, will begin immediately with metal output to start in the third quarter of 2022</p><p>Alcoa Australia President Mr Michael Gollschewski said "Restarting the idle capacity improves the smelter's cost structure, competitiveness and longer term sustainability."</p><p>The restart is expected to cost about $28-million, split between the smelter's co-owners Alcoa, Australia's Alumina Ltd, and arms of CITIC Resources and Japan's Marubeni Corp. </p><p>The Portland smelter, with total capacity of 358,000 tonnes a year, earlier this year won government aid to remain open for five more years after Alcoa threatened to close it in a drive to cut costs and carbon emissions.</p>
