Alcoa has secured a major agreement which will see the company supply 15.6 million metric tonnes of alumina to Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) from its operations in WA.
The eight-year agreement, commencing in 2024, will see Alcoa supply smelter grade alumina to EGA’s Al Taweelah alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi.
EGA is the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside of the oil and gas industry. It operates smelters in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, as well as an aluminium refinery in Abu Dhabi, and a bauxite mine in the Republic of Guinea.
“Alcoa operates the world’s largest third-party alumina business with low-carbon processes, and we’re proud to be recognised with this significant additional volume from EGA as a leading global producer,” Alcoa chief executive officer Roy Harvey said.
“The agreement is the largest alumina supply contract ever signed between Alcoa and EGA, and it will strengthen the long-term supply relationship between our two companies.”
EGA chief executive officer Abdulnasser Bin Kalban reacted to the agreement.
“Most of our alumina needs into the next decade are now secured by our own production and a long-term supplier in Alcoa that is aligned with our sustainability goals,” he said.
“This agreement will further strengthen EGA’s platform for future growth.”
The contract includes options for EGA to choose Alcoa’s low-carbon EcoSource alumina.
EcoSource is produced with roughly 0.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per ton of alumina, which is half of the industry’s average of 1.2 tonnes.
This measurement includes direct emissions from the company’s bauxite mining and alumina refining processes and indirect emissions from the energy consumed in those processes.
Alcoa has two bauxite mines and three alumina refineries in WA, which produce roughly 45 per cent of Australia’s alumina.
Its Portland aluminium smelter in Victoria also produces about 19 per cent of the nation’s aluminium.