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Welcome to Alcoa's Anglesea Community Update for Q4, 2025
As December draws to a close, we reflect on the progress made throughout the year across our former mine and power station sites.
2025 marked a year of milestones, including the completion of power station remediation, significant longer term erosion control works, and continued regulatory and community engagement.
As we work toward developing the final Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan, our focus on environmental, health and safety compliance remains at the forefront of our activities.
Below I’m pleased to share an overview of progress made against our 2025 focus areas.
On behalf of the Alcoa Anglesea team, I wish to thank the community for your continued interest in our work throughout the year and hope you enjoy a safe, healthy and happy festive season.
Warren Sharp | Anglesea Site Asset Manager
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Maintaining our track record
Throughout the year, all site activities were carried out safely, with no injuries reported among our workforce or contractors.
Of equal importance, we had no environmental non-compliances and maintained regular reporting to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
In line with the Environmental Action Notice, six-monthly status reports were submitted to EPA Victoria in June and December.
Our focus on zero harm to people and the environment remains our number one priority in 2026.
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Power station remediation
After undertaking a variety of remediation activities over many years under the oversight of an EPA-appointed auditor, we finally completed environmental remediation works on the power station site during the year, bringing an end to this important strategic activity.
Some of the final activities included treatment and reuse, or removal, of hydrocarbon contaminated soils, as well as comprehensive soil and groundwater testing.
Work continues on the last step of the process, to obtain the EPA-appointed auditor Site Audit Statement confirming satisfactory completion of remediation activities and suitability of the site for potential future land uses – a focus for 2026.
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Mine maintenance and monitoring program
Throughout the year we continued to deliver on our mine maintenance and monitoring program – an integral schedule of work for achieving our objective of a safe, stable and sustainable landform.
Activities throughout 2025 have included:
- Spreading of sterile kikuyu grass sprigs and hydromulch to approximately 7 hectares of the south and west lower slopes of the former mine area, supporting our long-term erosion mitigation strategy
- Earthwork repairs and additional drain installations to ensure the landform meets long term safe and stable expectations
- Bi-monthly geotechnical inspections reported to the mine regulator, all of which identified no significant issues
- Ongoing weed management works, including inspecting for noxious, exotic and invasive species such as Serrated Tussock, Sallow Wattle, Boneseed, Fescues, Great Brome, Clovers and Medics
- Ongoing ecological inspections to guide our management of vegetation and to continue to assist the development of the grasslands area
- A trial planting of 1,000 native Knobby Club Rush (Ficinia nodosa) tube stock
- Monitoring of the water body, which has risen to RL -14.55m (14.55m below sea level)
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Mine water filling strategy
Southern Rural Water community engagement
After submitting a groundwater licence amendment application to Southern Rural Water in July 2024, pleasingly 2025 saw the regulator invite the community to share their thoughts on the proposal.
The process included:
- Opportunity for community members to join the conversation through a public comment period
- A community information session
- A public submission hearing which provided an opportunity for individuals to talk to their submission – including Alcoa and our expert hydrogeologist
We recognise the high level of community and stakeholder interest and have welcomed the rigour involved in the regulatory process to help decision makers reach an informed decision that takes environmental, social, technical and cultural factors into consideration.
The outcome of the application process is now expected in early-2026, after which, we will be able to develop and deliver a final Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan inclusive of further community feedback, bringing us closer to returning the site to the community.
The current draft Plan, developed in consultation with the community, is viewable on our website.
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Overview: Alcoa groundwater licence amendment application
In July 2024 Alcoa made a groundwater licence amendment application to Southern Rural Water (SRW) seeking to:
- Reduce the existing UEVF groundwater licence from 4000Ml/ yr to 1500Ml/yr
- Amend its use for placement in the mine void to accelerate the filling process and help achieve the objectives of the Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan
If approved, the licence will enable Alcoa to accelerate return of the former mine and power station site to the community, consistent with the draft Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan, while providing long-term environmental benefits sooner. In contrast, the alternative natural fill approach is expected to take many decades.
Importantly, more than four years of technical investigation conducted by expert consultants including multiple independent peer reviews, with a high level of regulatory oversight, has not identified any adverse impacts of historic Alcoa groundwater extraction on environmental receptors, including the Anglesea River.
While the risks of adverse impact on the environment are already low, applying the precautionary principle and a conservative approach, the application is less than 38 per cent of the historical extraction rate ensuring an even lower risk approach.
Mitigating risk
Alcoa would expect any future licence to have specific volume and extraction limits, and a variety of stringent and standard conditions.
To further mitigate any risk to the environment, as part of any application Alcoa has proposed an adaptive management approach which would include:
- A documented water management and monitoring plan
- Ongoing, comprehensive monitoring of all available bores across all aquifers
- Multiple bores (~30) in various aquifers selected as dedicated monitoring and/or trigger bores
- Nominated trigger bores with defined water level and/or water quality triggers and contingency actions (including cessation of extraction) in the event of a trigger exceedance
- Sharing of monitoring results with community and relevant stakeholders
The proposed adaptive management approach would reduce an already low risk of any adverse impact to even lower levels.
Read more about the strategy and FAQs by visiting our website.
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Land use planning
Across the year, we continued to investigate options for Alcoa freehold land use in line with the Alcoa Freehold Master Plan, which included significant community feedback, and the Anglesea Futures Land Use Framework.
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Involving the community
We proudly hosted a number of site tours throughout the year, with visitors from Damascus College, Bellarine Wanders and members from Angair Inc.
We extend our thanks to these individuals for reaching out with a desire to learn about the extensive amount of remediation work undertaken to date and learn firsthand about our proposed plans.
If you have any feedback or questions for Alcoa, or would like a tour of the site, please do not hesitate to contact the team via angleseaps@alcoa.com.au.
To read more about our activities including previous updates, visit our website.
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2026 focus areas
- Ensure ongoing safety of personnel onsite and ongoing environmental compliance
- Obtain the EPA-appointed auditor Site Audit Statement confirming satisfactory completion of power station remediation activities
- Continue mine monitoring and maintenance activities to ensure long term safe, stable and sustainable objective
- Complete the east and north wall lower slope longer term erosion control works within the mine
- Develop the final Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan, including further consultation with the community and key stakeholders
- Continue to investigate options for Alcoa freehold land use in line with the Alcoa Freehold Master Plan and Anglesea Futures Framework
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