By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
SEVERAL multinational companies have expressed interest in Alcoa’s Point Henry site, Mayor Darryn Lyons has revealed.
Cr Lyons told a Geelong Business Network breakfast “at least four to five major companies around the world” were looking keenly at the site.
He was “extremely excited” about the possibilities for the aluminium smelter and rolling mill site, the breakfast heard.
“We’ve also had development proposals for the site coming through, from big residential developments to golf courses to all sorts of stuff,” Cr Lyons said.
“Can this mayor sit here and say what this is going to be in the future? No, but some of the plans are over the next 20 years.
“Obviously we all want that sorted out as quickly as possible but I think the news is going to be good.”
Alcoa’s Point Henry site will become vacant near the end of the year when the company completes decommissioning its aluminium plant after ceasing operations at the start of the month. Most of the 800 staff have already left the site.
Alcoa owns and manages 575 hectares of land at Point Henry, of which 500Ha is outside the smelter and rolling mill perimeter.
The land includes Point Henry Signal Station, wetlands, sewage and water quality treatment ponds and part of former Cheetham Salt’s Moolap salt works.
Alcoa’s land adjoins the eastern shoreline, with its buffer zone extending to Portarlington-Geelong Rd.
The Point Henry smelter started operating in 1962, producing 190,000 tonnes of aluminium annually, exporting about half and the rest processed at the neighbouring rolling mill.
An Alcoa spokesperson said Point Henry was in the “very early stages of the decommissioning process”.
“Our aim is to return the asset to productive use and a team has been established to begin the process, which includes a comprehensive site assessment,” the spokesperson said.
“This cannot be completed until after the rolling mill ends operations later this year.
“Naturally there is interest in the site, However, we need to complete the assessment process before decisions can be made on future use.”
