HUNDREDS of jobs at Alcoa's aluminium operation in Geelong could be at risk after the multinational announced cuts.
The State Government contacted Alcoa's local management after its New York headquarters said it would cut aluminium smelting capacity by 12 per cent due to depressed prices for the product.
But the company's Australian managers were unable to give any guarantees about operations of the state's largest exporter, including the future of the 49-year-old Point Henry smelter and rolled products plant, which employs 1000 people.
The security of the smelter, among about 20 Alcoa smelters worldwide, will be looked at over coming weeks as Alcoa decides which facilities it will shut "in the near future".
Alcoa yesterday permanently closed its giant smelter in Tennessee, which it mothballed in 2009, but the future of its operations at Portland in western Victoria are believed to be secure.
Alcoa's Victorian management also was contacted by the Australian Workers' Union, which is concerned about future production at Point Henry.
Read more on the Herald Sun.
