Jul 27 2005
Alcan has announced the opening of its new alumina research and development (R&D) facility in Brisbane, Australia. The purpose-built Queensland Research and Development Centre (QRDC) will develop new technologies and enhance existing alumina production processes to improve productivity, environmental performance and employee safety.
"The QRDC further cements Alcan’s leading position in alumina technology research," said Jacynthe Côté, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alcan Bauxite and Alumina. "Combined with Alcan’s existing Bauxite and Alumina R&D facility in Canada, the QRDC places the Company in a unique position to provide innovative technology for the global alumina industry," she added.
Located at the Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies (QCAT), a joint venture between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Queensland Government, the QRDC was officially opened by the Honourable Ian Macfarlane MP, Federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources and Michael Choi MP, Member for Capalaba, who was representing the Honourable Tony McGrady MP, Queensland Minister for State Development and Innovation.
"Construction of the AU$2.4 million purpose-built R&D facility was jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments. QRDC will directly employ world-class chemists, metallurgists and chemical engineers, joining more than 3,500 people employed at Alcan operations in Australia – including more than 725 Queenslanders in Brisbane," said Richard Yank, President of Pacific Operations, Alcan Bauxite and Alumina, at the centre’s opening.
Alcan’s interests in Australia include the Gove alumina refinery in the Northern Territory, which is undergoing an AU$2 billion expansion, a 41.4 percent shareholding in Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL), a 51.5 percent shareholding in the Tomago aluminium smelter in New South Wales, bauxite reserves in the Northern Territory and North Queensland as well as a planned production facility in Adelaide, South Australia for Stelvin wine screw caps.
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