Alcoa of the United States: Due to the influence of the cyclone, the shipment volume of alumina in Australia will decrease.
June 12, 2026
On Thursday, June 11th, the chief financial officer of Alcoa Corp stated that due to the influence of Cyclone Narelle, the output of the company's Pinjarra alumina refinery in Australia for the second quarter is expected to decrease by approximately 120,000 tons compared to the first quarter.
Chief Financial Officer Molly Beerman said at the Wells Fargo Industrial and Materials Conference held in Chicago on Wednesday that the hurricane that hit Australia in March disrupted the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Pingjala plant, which has an annual production capacity of 4.7 million tons, and increased the production cost by $30 million in the second quarter.
Beerman stated that due to the conflicts in the Middle East, Alcoa expects that the fuel costs for its Saint Louis alumina refinery in Brazil will increase by an additional $15 million this quarter.
The St. Louis plant remains profitable, but the alumina business of Alcoa "is currently under great pressure", while the refinery in Western Australia is facing "severe challenges" due to the low price of alumina and the poor quality of bauxite. "Therefore, this business segment as a whole will incur losses," she said.
Beerman stated that due to the war in the Middle East which has restricted production, Alcoa is assisting its local alumina smelting plant customers in transferring some of the contracted alumina shipments.
