PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Anglesea coal mine and power station is expected to close at the end of August, after owner Alcoa Australia was unable to secure a buyer for the site.
The Anglesea power station previously supplied about 40% of the power needs for the Point Henry smelter, in Victoria. The Point Henry smelter was closed in February last year, on the back of challenging market conditions.
Since that time, Alcoa had been hunting for a buyer for the site, which had been operating as an independent supplier to the national electricity market; however, the sales process had not resulted in a sale.
“Our key concern now is for our 85 employees who have done a great job in continuing to run the operation during this period of uncertainty,” said Alcoa refining president and MD of Alcoa Australia Alan Cransberg.
The Anglesea mine produced an average of 1.1-million tonnes a year of coal, which was used exclusively to generate electricity at the Anglesea power station.