South32 achieves record production at Worsley Alumina &Brazil Alumina; Worsley Alumina output up 2% in FY21

Mining company South32 published alumina production of 1.4 million tonnes in Q4 FY21, an increase of 17 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Alumina output was 5.36 million tonnes in FY21, compared to 5.26 million tonnes in FY20, up 2 per cent year-on-year.

Worsley Alumina saleable production increased by 2% to a record of 3.963 million in FY21, with the refinery finishing the year strongly, setting a quarterly record and operating above nameplate capacity of 4.6Mtpa.

“The refinery’s record performance in FY21 was enabled by improvement initiatives in the calcination circuit and record alumina hydrate production,” South32 said.

The company reported Brazil Alumina saleable production stood at 1.398 million tonnes in FY21, increased by 1% as the refinery continued to benefit from strong plant availability, realising the benefits of the De-bottlenecking Phase One project.

Sales decreased by 13% in the June 2021 quarter due to the timing of shipments.

“Subsequent to the end of the period, one of the two bauxite unloaders at the refinery sustained damage and is currently undergoing assessments for repair. As a result, the refinery  is  expected  to  reduce  production  rates  in  the  September 2021 quarter, until repair work is complete and full bauxite loading capacity is restored. We expect to provide an update on the impact to our FY22 production guidance with our FY21 financial results,” the company said.