The Department of War (DOW) will invest an estimated $174 million to build a new gallium production facility in Australia to secure the supply chain for the strategic metal.
The investment will be made through equity financing at Alcoa’s Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia, the DOW said in an Aug. 31 statement. Alcoa of Australia, a subsidiary of Alcoa Corporation, which is based in Pennsylvania, will continue to run the facility, which is expected to produce 100 metric tons of gallium metal per year.
The element gallium plays a critical role in modern defense technologies, such as high-performance semiconductors used in ground-based missile defense systems, advanced radar for maritime and aerial platforms, and precision electro-optical/infrared sensors used for missile guidance and thermal imaging….