RIO TINTO Alcan says it will not be laying off workers from its Yarwun refinery, which is currently lying idle because of a blocked residue management pipeline.
The plant downtime is costing the aluminium producer millions of dollars. The blockage was discovered on 29 July 2008, and prevents the pipe from removing red mud residue to storage.
The Yarwun facility produces 1.4Mt of alumina per year during normal operation. It is now relying on the company’s other refineries to meet customer requirements.
Although the operator started working on one kilometre of the pipeline, further investigations showed the problem extended along most of the nine kilometre line.
Cleaning operations will continue until the end of August. Various sections of the line had to be cut for descaling and hydroblasting, and some parts will have to be replaced.
The unusual maintenance task means extensive risk assessments had to be undertaken to ensure the work fulfilled both safety and environmental requirements.
The company says it will truck red mud tailings from the refinery, so the plant will be able to operate at about a quarter of its capacity.

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