Alcoa commenced construction in July 2026 on a new gallium plant at its Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia, backed by US$174 million in financing from the US Department of War.

Developed in partnership with Japan's Sojitz Corporation and the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), the project aims to secure alternative gallium supplies outside China, which controls approximately 98% of global output and has banned direct shipments to the US.

Gallium is a critical material for high-performance semiconductors, radar systems, and missile guidance equipment.

The facility targets an annual production capacity of about 100 tons of gallium metal by extracting the mineral as an alumina processing byproduct.

Michael Cadenazzi, the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, said that the trilateral arrangement strengthens collective security and economic resilience for the defense industrial base.