Aluminium production ends at Kurri smelter

ABC reported that 4 decades of aluminium production officially ends at the Kurri Kurri smelter when the last aluminium billets are cast.

The smelter has been gradually winding-down since Norsk Hydro announced the closure around 6 months ago with the loss of around 450 jobs. By the end of the year the plant will go into mothballs with only a small number of workers to maintain it.

Mr Richard Brown acting MD of Kurri Kurri said that the plant may be re started in the future if market conditions improve but concedes that it is unlikely.

Mr Richard Brown said that "The economic conditions that would allow a re start not only to sustain and operate the plant but to cover the cost of a re start and you're right it's not just turn it back on again, you'd have to bring all the equipment back up to an operating standard, engage a whole new workforce."

He said that "Really the clock is ticking because every day that goes by, the equipment deteriorates. Two thousand hectares of land surrounding the smelter could become a future residential and industrial estate.”

Mr Brown said that the entire site is very large and diverse. So we've got two thousand hectares of land that stretches from Gillieston Heights right through to the Kurri Weston area so we've got rural land, some residential land of course we've got the smelter site which is industrial, we've got pristine bushland on our site so you know the opportunities, if that were to eventuate are pretty limitless.

Mr Trevor Hall human resources manager of Norsk Hydro said that the mining industry slowdown has put a dent in the hopes of former Kurri smelter employees looking for a new job.

He said that "It's fallen a bit flat although there were some people who got in early soon after we had the jobs market but obviously with the fall in coal prices, things have been a bit of a squeeze and that's made it more difficult for people in this area but the remaining people are out there still looking for work."