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🏭 Rio Tinto and the Australian and New South Wales governments have agreed on support intended to keep the Tomago Aluminium Smelter operating after its current electricity contract ends in December 2028. The agreement includes a 10-year below-market power-supply guarantee and is reported to involve $2.5 billion in public support.
The plan targets fully renewable electricity for the Tomago smelter by 2033. Governments say it would underpin nearly 3,000 MW of new renewable generation and firming capacity across New South Wales; firming includes storage or other supply available when wind and solar output is low. ⚡
Tomago is Australia’s largest aluminium smelter, producing about 590,000 tonnes a year. It uses around 10% of New South Wales power supply, directly employs about 1,000 people and is estimated by the company to support about 5,000 indirect jobs.
The deal responds to a looming cost problem: electricity purchases made up more than 40% of the smelter’s operating costs, and its owners had said they could not secure post-2028 power at a price that guaranteed continued operations. Rio Tinto says the transition could cut annual emissions by 7.1 million tonnes, but the 2033 outcome depends on the associated renewable and storage projects being delivered. 🌱
https://nutanica.com/Tomago_Aluminium_Smelter
The plan targets fully renewable electricity for the Tomago smelter by 2033. Governments say it would underpin nearly 3,000 MW of new renewable generation and firming capacity across New South Wales; firming includes storage or other supply available when wind and solar output is low. ⚡
Tomago is Australia’s largest aluminium smelter, producing about 590,000 tonnes a year. It uses around 10% of New South Wales power supply, directly employs about 1,000 people and is estimated by the company to support about 5,000 indirect jobs.
The deal responds to a looming cost problem: electricity purchases made up more than 40% of the smelter’s operating costs, and its owners had said they could not secure post-2028 power at a price that guaranteed continued operations. Rio Tinto says the transition could cut annual emissions by 7.1 million tonnes, but the 2033 outcome depends on the associated renewable and storage projects being delivered. 🌱
https://nutanica.com/Tomago_Aluminium_Smelter
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