Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week announced a major investment in the critical minerals sector, committing $200 million in concessional equity finance to the new Alcoa-Sojitz Gallium Recovery Project.
The new refinery, a partnership between Alcoa and Japan’s Sojitz Corporation, will be built at Alcoa’s existing Wagerup alumina facility in Western Australia. It will extract gallium, a critical mineral, from bauxite deposits.
It adds to a series of historic announcements for the critical minerals sector. The project is a direct outcome of the Australia–US Critical Minerals Framework, which created a US$8.5 pipeline between the two countries.
“This is what a future made in Australia looks like. Right here, right now,” Albanese said. “This is a game-changing project for Australia and for the United States. Australia is rich in critical minerals, and we’re going to reap the benefits for all Australians.”
The facility is expected to be underway by the end of 2026, creating around 200 construction jobs and a couple of dozen ongoing jobs in the region. Importantly, the project is projected to produce 10 per cent of the world’s gallium.
Albanese said the agreement is key to future investment and will supply strategic partners with the critical minerals needed for defence and advanced technologies.
“We have what the world needs as it shifts to clean energy,” Albanese said.
The site where Albanese made this statement, Alcoa, already employs about 1500 workers at Wagerup. The project received support from the Japanese and US governments and the US Export-Import Bank.
