Worsley Alumina has secured A$4.4 million in funding to support the development of steam electrification pathways at its alumina refinery.
The funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will also be matched by Worsley's parent company South32.
It will allow Worsley to undertake a pre-feasibility study of four investment options for partial steam electrification.
The options include electric boilers, which generate steam directly using an electrode, and mechanical vapour recompression, which involves capturing low-pressure waste vapour from the refining process for recompression to create pressurised steam for reuse.
These technologies have the potential to improve efficiency, reduce operating costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, through the use of renewable electricity.
South32 Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Torres, said: “Electrification of the steam generation process at Worsley Alumina’s refinery has the potential to further reduce the operation’s GHG emissions and we look forward to starting work on the project.”
“Meeting Australia’s emissions reduction targets will require businesses in the most energy intensive industries to incorporate renewables in their operations,” said Arena CEO, Darren Miller.
“Funding from ARENA will help South32 investigate innovative electrification options for steam generation that enable the use of renewable energy.”
Learnings will benefit not only South32 but other alumina refining players by continuing the industry’s investigation and potential uptake of steam electrification technologies.