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Kwinana Alumina Refinery

Aluminium Smelter in Australia. Approximate location -32.18945, 115.77649.

Aluminium SmelterAustraliaCO₂ reported

Kwinana Alumina Refinery is an aluminium smelter in Australia with a reported capacity of 2,200,000 t of alumina/aluminum. It smelts alumina into primary aluminium by high-current electrolysis. It is operated by Alcoa Corp. By capacity it ranks #5 of 15 aluminium smelters tracked in Australia. It emits about 2,885,850 tonnes of CO₂e per year (Climate TRACE) — roughly the tailpipe emissions of 672,692 cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is about 37% below the median aluminium smelter.

2,200,000t of alumina/aluminum
2,885,850t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#6CO₂ rank in Australia
1.31t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-43765020.

Bağlamda: bu tesis nasıl karşılaştırılır

2,200,000 t of alumina/aluminum'de, Kwinana Alumina Refinery Australia'daki aluminium smelter'lerin medyanı çok üstünde 974,163 t of alumina/aluminum'dir. Alt sektör: aluminum. aluminium smelter olarak, temel endüstriyel işlemleri için yoğun proses ısısı (tipik olarak 600–900°C) gerektirir — kazanlar, fırınlar veya doğrudan yanma ile sağlanması gereken ısı, ve izolasyon yapılmamış kaplar ve boruların kayıpları harcanan yakıtı temsil eder. Modüler çıkarılabilir yalıtım bu kayıpları %80–96 oranında azaltabilir, yüzeyleri ≤45°C'ye soğutabilir, geri ödeme süresi genellikle 2 yıldan azdır. Alüminyum eritmeleri, alüminayı 900°C'nin üstündeki eritilmiş alüminyuma rafine etmek için büyük elektrik akımları kullanır ve sıcak metal pota ve dökme ekipmanı aracılığıyla akmalıdır.

Kapasite ve CO₂ yoğunluğu karşılaştırması Climate TRACE endüstriyel tesis verilerinden hesaplanmıştır; sektör rolü mühendislik referansına dayanmaktadır.

What 2,885,850 t CO₂e a year looks like

This facility's reported annual CO₂e in the everyday equivalents from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator:

672,692cars driven for a year
376,350homes' annual energy use
48,097,500tree seedlings grown 10 years

Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest aluminium smelters in Australia

Worsley Alumina Refinery: 4,700,000 t of alumina/aluminum4.7MWorsley Al…Pinjarra Alcoa Alumina Refinery: 4,263,770 t of alumina/aluminum4.3MPinjarra A…Yarwun Alumina Refinery: 3,400,000 t of alumina/aluminum3.4MYarwun Alu…Wagerup Alumina Refinery: 2,900,000 t of alumina/aluminum2.9MWagerup Al…Kwinana Alumina Refinery: 2,200,000 t of alumina/aluminum2.2MKwinana Al…Gladstone Region: 1,583,016 t of alumina/aluminum1.6MGladstone …Murray Shire: 1,107,004 t of alumina/aluminum1.1MMurray Shi…Collie Shire: 974,163 t of alumina/aluminum974kCollie Shi…

Reported capacity (t of alumina/aluminum), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).

Operator

Operated by Alcoa Corp. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Kwinana Alumina Refinery sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate zone (Köppen Csa), at 32.2°S in the southern hemisphere.

~17°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season
Hot-summer mediterranean: hot summers and mild winters

Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

How it compares & nearby sites

The #5 largest of 15 aluminium smelters in Australia by reported capacity.

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates -32.18945, 115.77649. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

A aluminium smelter like this runs hot equipment that sheds heat continuously: alumina calciner, casthouse furnaces, hot ducting (electrolysis itself is electric) (surface/process temperatures around 150–1,000 °C). These surfaces lose energy to the air year-round; removable modular insulation cuts that loss, brings outer surfaces to ≤45 °C, and unclips for inspection.

electrolysis is mostly electricity (Scope 2) + anode process; on-site combustion small - insulation mainly relevant to alumina refining/casthouse.

Indicative recoverable energy

On an already-insulated site (pipes & valves in cladding / jackets), closing the remaining gaps, flanges and damaged sections and switching to removable covers indicatively recovers about 3,900 MWh/yr (≈ 770 t CO₂/yr) — scaled to this site's reported CO₂ within its sector. Bare or damaged surfaces recover several times more.

See Inzonex insulation → Estimate your site →

Indicative, not a measurement. Conservative floor for an already-insulated plant; a TIPCHECK on-site audit gives a measured figure. Industry context: EiiF TIPCHECK — industrial insulation can save ~14 Mtoe/yr in EU, payback typically <2 years.

Safety & the no-regret first step

Bare hot surfaces here exceed the touch-safe limit (EN ISO 13732-1); insulation to ≤45 °C is a worker-safety and compliance win. And before electrification, fuel-switching or CCS, eliminating surface heat loss is the cheapest, fastest, lowest-risk step — audit the bare spots first, rip-and-replace later.

External climate finance your country can access

Domestic energy-efficiency grants are limited here; industrial decarbonisation is mainly funded externally:

Routed via national development banks / accredited entities — not a direct factory grant. Verified 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Kwinana Alumina Refinery?

Kwinana Alumina Refinery is a aluminium smelter in Australia. It smelts alumina into primary aluminium by high-current electrolysis.

What is the capacity of Kwinana Alumina Refinery?

Kwinana Alumina Refinery has a reported capacity of 2,200,000 t of alumina/aluminum.

How much CO₂ does Kwinana Alumina Refinery emit?

Kwinana Alumina Refinery emits about 2,885,850 tonnes of CO₂e per year (Climate TRACE) — roughly the tailpipe emissions of 672,692 cars. That ranks #6 among tracked facilities in Australia.

Where is Kwinana Alumina Refinery located?

Kwinana Alumina Refinery is in Australia, near coordinates -32.18945, 115.77649.

Who operates Kwinana Alumina Refinery?

Kwinana Alumina Refinery is operated by Alcoa Corp.

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