Alcoa is well positioned to operate South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium, says Pillay
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – As a global producer of materials across the aluminium value chain, Alcoa Corporation is well positioned to operate South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium business into the future, South32 COO Africa Noel Pillay stated categorically on Wednesday, July 1, when the diversified Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed mining company South32 announced the signing of a binding conditional agreement to sell Hillside Aluminium to New York-listed Alcoa for up to $5.6-billion.
In addition to the Hillside aluminium smelter and the idled Bayside smelter property in South Africa, Alcoa will also acquire South32’s interests in Australia's Boddington bauxite mine and the Worsley alumina refinery, as well as the Mineração Rio do Norte bauxite mine and the Alumar alumina refinery and aluminium smelter in Brazil.
South Africa's Hillside, Pillay stated, would be operated by “a dedicated aluminium producer”, who would bring the benefits of “deep aluminium value chain experience” to the province of KwaZulu-Natal, where it would support local jobs, host communities, and the South African economy as a whole.
