What forms of energy does the Pinjarra refinery use?
The refinery uses three forms of energy; natural gas, steam and electricity in the alumina refining process. The refinery has its own powerhouse boilers that are fuelled by natural gas, which produce steam for the process to remove the alumina from the bauxite. Natural gas is also used for heat in the final stage of the process, for removing water from the alumina. The steam produced by the boilers generates electricity before being used in the process. The electricity is used to drive the electric motors of equipment such as pumps that are essential to the alumina refining process.
