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Aluminium is an important metal with a wide range of important applications and is a core part of South32's global business. We operate in all stages of aluminium production and are a significant producer of this widely used metal, with operations in South America, Australia and southern Africa.
South32 has operations mining Bauxite and refining Alumina in Australia and Brazil and smelters producing Aluminium in South Africa, Mozambique and Brazil.
We have increased our exposure to low-carbon aluminium¹ and operate the largest aluminium smelter in the southern hemisphere.
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Aluminium is often referred to as the metal of the future. It is lightweight, durable, strong, resistant to corrosion, recyclable, non-toxic and conductive, so has a wide range of applications.
These applications include construction, electrical wiring, transportation, packaging and consumer goods such as electronics and household items.
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore found in deposits around the world - with Australia the largest producer. Prior to processing, Bauxite ore is red sedimentary rock.
We mine bauxite at our Australian Worsley Alumina mine as well as at our Brazil Alumina Mineração Rio do Norte (MRN) mine.
After being mined, the Bauxite ore is processed into Alumina at nearby facilities.
At Worsley, an overland conveyor links the mine to the refinery, 50 kilometres (km) away. It is the longest of its kind in Australia, and a great engineering feat. This conveyor belt passes through 42.5 km of forest, crosses 29 roads and two rivers. Travelling at 25km/h and carrying 3,400 tonnes of bauxite every hour, the conveyor could load a semi-trailer in about 30 seconds.
At Brazil Alumina, bauxite is mined at the Mineração Rio do Norte (MRN) mine, in Porto Trombetas, in northern Brazil. Our share of the ore produced at the MRN mine is supplied to the Alumar alumina refinery in São Luís, northeastern Brazil, which has been operating since the mid-eighties.
Alumina
Alumina is the key raw material used to produce primary aluminium.
Mined bauxite ore is refined into alumina through what is known as the Bayer process. The process, discovered in 1887, extracts alumina from bauxite through crushing, dissolving it in caustic soda, filtration and an electrolytic process.
Alumina is a white powder, appearing similar to table salt, which can then be smelted into aluminium metal.
South32 mines bauxite and produces alumina at two of our operations: Worsley Alumina and Brazil Alumina.
South32 owns 86 per cent of Worsley Alumina, with 10 per cent held by Japan Alumina Associates (Australia) Pty Ltd and the remaining 4 per cent held by Sojitz Alumina Pty Ltd. Operations began in 1984 and today, it is recognised as one of the largest alumina refineries in the world.
Bauxite is mined near the town of Boddington, 130 kilometres south-east of Perth. It is transported by overland conveyor to the alumina refinery near Collie and turned into alumina powder, before being transported by rail to the Bunbury port.
It is then shipped to smelters around the world, including South32’s Hillside and Mozal aluminium smelters in Southern Africa.
Our Brazil Alumina operations are made up of a share in the country’s largest bauxite mine, as well as an alumina refinery.
For more than 40 years bauxite mining has been underway at the Mineração Rio do Norte (MRN) mine, in Porto Trombetas, in northern Brazil.
Our share of the ore produced at the MRN mine is supplied to the Alumar alumina refinery in São Luís, northeastern Brazil, which has been operating since the mid-eighties.
We have a 33 per cent interest in the MRN mine and a 36 per cent share of the alumina refinery.
Aluminium
The white alumina powder produced at our refineries is then smelted into aluminium at our operations in South Africa, Mozambique and Brazil.
Our smelters produce aluminium ingots at Hillside Aluminium, Mozal Aluminium and Brazil Aluminium. This Aluminium is supplied to domestic and export markets, as well as supplying liquid metal to some local businesses in South Africa and Mozambique to support the development of local aluminium industries.
Hillside Aluminium is the largest aluminium smelter in the southern hemisphere. The smelter is located in Richards Bay in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and is 100 per cent owned and operated by South32 with solid metal production capacity of 720kt per year.
The smelter produces aluminium for the domestic and export markets. To support the development of the downstream aluminium industry in South Africa, liquid metal is supplied to Hulamin and other local companies that sell products in the domestic and export markets.
Mozal Aluminium is located 20 kilometres west of Mozambique’s capital city Maputo and has a solid metal production capacity of 580kt per year (on a 100 per cent basis). Mozal Aluminium is the second largest aluminium smelter in Africa (behind our Hillside Aluminium smelter in South Africa).
Mozal produces aluminium ingots. To support the development of the downstream aluminium industry in Mozambique a portion of liquid metal is supplied to Midal Cables, a local company that sells products in the domestic and export markets.
South32 holds a 63.7 per cent share of Mozal Aluminium.
South32 holds a 40 per cent share in the non-operated Alumar aluminium smelter, which was restarted during FY22 after being on care and maintenance since 2015. Alcoa holds a 60 per cent share.
Our share of production from the Brazil Aluminium smelter is powered by 100 per cent cost efficient renewable power and produces aluminium for the domestic and export markets.
Following the restart, first production was achieved in the June 2022 quarter, with full capacity from the smelter’s three potlines expected to be achieved in Q1 FY24. It has a solid metal production capacity of 447kt per year.
