Bauxite production was up and running at Larego seven days after the crusher was switched off at Orion.
The hub for Alcoa’s Willowdale Bauxite Mine in the south-west of Western Australia recently relocated to a new region via a carefully engineered process that included moving an 850 metric ton crusher.
After more than 21 years at Orion, the mine hub was relocated earlier this year to a new region known as Larego which is located about 20km north-east of the town of Harvey. It is predicted that Larego will be the centre of the Willowdale mine for at least the next couple of decades.
Willowdale supplies all of the bauxite for Alcoa’s Wagerup alumina refinery. Together, the Wagerup and Willowdale operations employ more than 1,000 people and inject about $480 million annually into the local economy.
Hear from our people about the incredible milestones associated with the mine move.
“Thousands of hours of planning by many teams and individuals culminated in the successful move of the crusher from Orion to Larego, with production up and running seven days after the shut down,” Willowdale Mine Manager Trever Stockil said.
“Since work commenced in 2019, we have had up to 160 additional personnel working on the Larego project itself, with the associated wages and contract dollars continuing to flow into the local area, which has helped communities weather the economic and social disruption of COVID-19.”
“We are committed to maximising benefits to the local community and minimising impacts from this project,” Trever said.