Bechtel to expand Rio Tinto refinery in Australia

Bechtel has begun work on a US$1.8 billion expansion that will more than double the production at Rio Tinto Aluminium's Yarwun alumina refinery. Bechtel is providing engineering, procurement, and construction management for the project, which comes three years after Bechtel completed the first stage of the refinery (at that time known at the Comalco Alumina Refinery). The expansion will increase annual output by 2 million tonnes to 3.4 million tonnes. The first shipments from the expanded refinery are set for the second half of 2010. The project will include construction of a 160-megawatt, gas-fired cogeneration plant that will improve energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. About half the electricity generated by the plant will be used to power the existing and new refinery facilities with the remainder exported to the national electricity grid.