Aluminium, Manganese & Nickel

A global producer and supplier of primary aluminium, alumina, nickel and manganese ore and alloys, with operations on three continents.

  • About Aluminium, Manganese & Nickel

    Our aluminium business has a portfolio of assets in three stages of the primary aluminium value chain:  mining bauxite, refining bauxite into alumina and smelting alumina into aluminium metal.  We are one of the world's largest integrated producers with operations in South America, Southern Africa and Australia.

    Aluminium is a widely used non-ferrous metal with demand driven by end use consumption in transportation, packaging, construction and household items.

    Our nickel business is one of the world's largest nickel miners, the fifth largest refined nickel producer and a global supplier of nickel to the stainless steel industry.  We have two producing assets located in Australia and Colombia.

    Austenitic stainless steel, or nickel-containing stainless steel, promotes a more stable and ductile structure that contributes to corrosion resistance.  This product is instrumental to many industries including architecture, transport, aerospace, medical and heavy industries as well as chemical processing and energy applications.  Nickel is also an essential element in many non-stainless steel applications like specialty alloys, foundry, chemicals and refractory material industries.

    Our manganese business has two producing assets located in Australia and South Africa and is a world leader in the seaborne supply of manganese ore and a global producer of manganese alloy.

    Manganese is an indispensable element in the manufacturing of steel, which in turn is an essential material in many industries including construction and transportation.  Its use in the steel making process results in increased strength, resistance and machinability.

  • Leadership

    Daniel Malchuk, President, Aluminium, Manganese & Nickel

    Daniel was appointed President Aluminum, Manganese and Nickel in May 2013.  Previously he was the President of Minerals Exploration, a position he held from July 2012.  He worked for the Company between 1996 and 1998 in BHP Copper in the USA and has held a number of roles in the Base Metals business since he rejoined BHP Billiton in 2002.  In 2006 he took the role of Asset Leader Joint Ventures and was also Vice President Strategy and Development in Base Metals.  Daniel has a Civil Industrial Engineering degree  from the University of Chile and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).

  • Assets

    Aluminium South Africa

    Our Hillside and Bayside smelters are located at Richards Bay, South Africa.  The operation is fully owned and operated by BHP Billiton.

    Hillside is one of the world’s most advanced and efficient aluminium smelters, produces high quality primary aluminium and it is the largest producer of standard aluminium ingots in the southern hemisphere.

    Bayside is the only producer of value-added primary aluminium products in Southern Africa that is all used for the local market.

    Cerro Matoso, Colombia

    Cerro Matoso is the world's second largest producer of ferronickel and one of the lowest cost producers.  Located near the town of Montelíbano in northern Colombia, the Asset combines a lateritic nickel ore deposit with a low cost ferronickel smelter.  The smelter produces high-purity, low-carbon ferronickel granules.

    Manganese Australia

    The mining operation at Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO) extracts high-grade manganese ore using open-cut, strip mining methods.  GEMCO accounts for more than 15 per cent of the world’s high-grade ore production with approximately 70 per cent of its production exported around the globe.

    Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO) is a ferroalloy smelter located 50 kilometres north of Launceston at Bell Bay on the coast of Tasmania, Australia.  The operation remains the only manganese ferroalloy plant in Australia and produces high-carbon ferromanganese, silicomanganese and sinter.

    Manganese South Africa

    Wessels is an underground mine of hydro-thermally enriched manganese ore of a high grade.  The variety in grade of ores enables Manganese to offer a range of products suitable for all applications.

    Mamatwan is an opencast operation.  The ore lends itself to technologically advanced beneficiation processes.

    Metalloys is located in Meyerton, roughly 55 kilometres south of Johannesburg, South Africa.  With three large electric furnaces, and a forth being constructed, Metalloys produces high-carbon and medium-carbon ferromanganese.

    Mozal, Mozambique

    The Mozal aluminium smelter in Mozambique is a joint venture in which BHP Billiton has a 47.1 per cent interest.  Our partners include Mitsubishi Corporation (25 per cent), Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited (24 per cent) and the Government of Mozambique (3.9 per cent). Mozal produces standard aluminium ingots.

    Nickel West, Australia

    Nickel West is a fully integrated mine to market business comprising mines, concentrators, a smelter and refinery. All our Nickel West Operations are in Western Australia and include:

    • Mt Keith - a large, open-cut nickel mine and concentrator.
    • Leinster - two underground nickel mines and concentrator.
    • Kalgoorlie - a nickel concentrator and smelter which produce nickel concentrate and nickel matte.
    • Kwinana - produces nickel metal in the form of London Metal Exchange grade nickel briquettes and nickel powder as well as a range of saleable co-products.

    Worsley, Australia

    The Asset consists of two operations in Western Australia – a mine (Boddington) and a refinery (Collie), with BHP Billiton the operator of both. BHP Billiton owns 86 per cent of the Boddington bauxite mine and Worsley alumina refinery in a joint venture with Japan Alumina and Sojitz.  The Boddington bauxite mine supplies bauxite ore to the Worsley alumina refinery, the second largest in southern hemisphere.

    Joint Ventures

    Alumar, Brazil

    BHP Billiton owns 36 per cent of the Alumar refinery and 40 per cent of the Alumar smelter.  Both facilities are operated by Alcoa.  The operations, and their integrated port facility, are located at Sao Luis in the Maranhao province of Brazil.

    Mineração Rio do Norte, Brazil

    MRN is operated as an incorporated joint venture between BHP Billiton (14.8 per cent), Alcoa and affiliates (18.2 per cent), Vale (40 per cent), Rio-Tinto Alcan (12 per cent), Votorantim (10 per cent) and Hydro (5 per cent).  BHP Billiton’s portion of the bauxite off-take is supplied to the Alumar Refinery.