South32 receives environmental approval for Worsley expansion

SOUTH32 said on Wednesday it had received environmental approval from the federal government to extend the operational life of its Worsley Alumina facility in Western Australia.“The Federal Government’s approval of the Worsley Mine Development Project is a positive outcome for Worsley Alumina and its workforce, the Peel and South West communities, and the local economy,” said Graham Kerr, CEO of South32 in a statement.South32 owns 86% of Worsley Alumina, which began operations about 41 years ago and is one of the world’s biggest alumina refineries. Japan Alumina Associates (Australia) owns 10% of the operation, while the remaining 4% is held by Sojitz Alumina, according to a report by Reuters.Perth-headquartered South32 said that it will now move forward with developing new bauxite mining areas, which are projected to support production through at least fiscal year 2036.In December 2024, the miner received approval from Western Australia for the extension of its Worsley mine.South32 had initiated the environmental approval process with the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority in 2019, aiming to get the green light to mine more bauxite in the native forest south of Perth, said Reuters.The environmental regulator approved the proposal last July, but it came with a range of conditions due to the sensitive nature of the forest area where mining will take place.The miner then carried a value assessment of its project and recognised an impairment, opens new tab charge of $554m on its Worsley Alumina mine, related to conditions prescribed by the WA EPA.The miner produced 5.1 million tons of alumina in fiscal 2024, according to its annual report, and the commodity contributed to around 19% of the group’s annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortisation, said Reuters.The post South32 receives environmental approval for Worsley expansion appeared first on Miningmx.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com