Expansion completed, capacity boosted

After significant cost blowouts and delays, BHP Billiton’s multibillion-dollar expansion of Worsley Alumina is officially complete.

The refinery recently reached its full capacity of 4.6 million tonnes per annum.

The milestone comes as Worsley prepares to celebrate its 30th year of operations in the South West, with plans to mark the anniversary later this year.

Worsley asset president Ricus Grimbeek said the achievement was testament to the dedication of employees and contractors who had worked hard to ramp-up production safely and cost-effectively.

The expansion project commenced in 2008 and included the extension of Worsley’s mining operations near Boddington, an increase in capacity at its Collie refinery and the upgrade of Bunbury Port facilities.

“The expansion period was a challenging yet exciting time for Worsley, ” Mr Grimbeek said.

“We are proud to have achieved what we set out to do thanks to the support of our employees, contractors and communities.”

BHP had hoped to boost the capacity of the refinery from 3.5 million tonnes per annum to 4.6 million tonnes per annum from the first half of calendar 2011.

But construction cost blow outs caused significant delays which BHP blamed on the “complexity” of the project.