According to reports, the future of Victoria's struggling Portland Aluminium smelter is in doubt after US giant Alcoa flagged plans to cull poorly performing smelters and lower the carbon intensity of its fleet.
While Alcoa did not name the specific assets it is likely to close, Portland looks vulnerable on both the financial and environmental grounds, given it has posted spiralling losses in recent times and is powered by brown coal from Victoria's La Trobe Valley.