Alcoa (NYSE: AA) today announced it will permanently close its Point Henry aluminum smelter and two rolling mills in Australia. The smelter and an adjacent rolling mill are located in Geelong, Victoria. The second mill and a recycling facility are located in Yennora, New South Wales. The smelter will close in August and the rolling mills by the end of 2014.
The Point Henry smelter was placed under strategic review in February 2012 due to challenging market conditions.
A comprehensive review found that the 50-year-old smelter has no prospect of becoming financially viable. The two rolling mills serve the domestic and Asian can sheet markets which have been impacted by excess capacity. Alcoa of Australia operates the smelter where approximately 500 employees work. Alcoa Inc. operates the rolling mills which employ about 480 people.
"We recognize how deeply this decision impacts employees at the affected facilities and are committed to supporting them through this transition," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld. "Despite the hard work of the local teams, these assets are no longer competitive and are not financially sustainable today or into the future."
The Anglesea coal mine and power station that currently supplies approximately 40 percent of the power needs for the Point Henry smelter has the potential to operate as a stand-alone facility after the smelter closes. Alcoa of Australia will actively seek a buyer for the facility.
The Portland Aluminum smelter in Victoria will continue normal operations, as will Alcoa of Australia's bauxite mining and alumina refining operations in Western Australia.
"These are hard decisions to make," said Alan Cransberg, Managing Director, Alcoa of Australia Limited. "We understand how difficult this is for our employees and their families, our contractors, suppliers and community partners. Everyone has worked hard to improve the competitiveness of the smelter and rolling business. They are part of a proud history of Alcoa in Australia over the last 50 years and part of the significant contributions we have made to the Australian economy and local communities. We appreciate the ongoing support of the Australian and Victorian governments and will continue to work closely with all levels of government, our employees, unions and community stakeholders to manage through these changes."
Total 2014 restructuring-related charges associated with the closures outlined above are expected to be between $250 million and $270 million after-tax and non-controlling interest, or $0.22 to $0.25 per share, of which approximately 60 percent would be recorded in the first quarter. Cash costs during 2014 are expected to total approximately $160 million.
The closures will reduce Alcoa's global smelting capacity by 190,000 metric tons and reduce Alcoa's can sheet capacity by 200,000 metric tons. Including the closure of the Point Henry smelter, Alcoa has announced closures or curtailments representing 551,000 metric tons of smelting capacity, exceeding the 460,000 metric tons placed under review in May 2013. Once the Point Henry closure is complete, Alcoa will have total smelting operating capacity of approximately 3,760,000 metric tons, with approximately 655,000 metric tons, or 17 percent, of high cost capacity offline.
