Alcoa starts construction of 100-tonne-per-year gallium plant in Australia

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 24, Alcoa commenced construction of a gallium production facility at its Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia. The facility is designed with an annual capacity of 100 tonnes, equivalent to approximately 10% of current global gallium demand, and will recover gallium by leveraging the existing alumina production system once completed.

The project reached its final investment decision in July 2026, with Alcoa responsible for engineering, construction, and subsequent operations. Project partners include government agencies from Australia, the United States, and Japan, as well as Japan Australia Gallium Associates, a joint venture established by Sojitz and the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security. Sojitz will act as offtaker, supplying a portion of the output to Japan and other demand markets.

Gallium exists in trace amounts in bauxite and enters the process streams during alumina refining. The new facility will be co-located with the Wagerup refinery to separate and extract by-product gallium from the existing alumina production process, eliminating the need for standalone gallium ore development. The existing refining facilities and mineral processing capabilities at the Wagerup site will support the operation of the unit.

The Australian side supports the project through Export Finance Australia's critical minerals financing facility, while relevant agencies from Japan and the United States are also involved in investment and supply arrangements. The project was previously listed as a priority initiative under the Australia-U.S. framework for securing critical minerals and rare earth supply chains, with partners participating in funding and product offtake according to their respective interests.

Construction is expected to provide up to 200 local jobs, with approximately 20 permanent positions to be established once the facility becomes operational. The project has now transitioned from final investment decision to construction, and Alcoa has not yet disclosed a commercial production timeline in this announcement.