BELL BAY

port and site of a large aluminum-production facility, northern Tasmania, Australia, on the east bank of the River Tamar estuary in George Town municipality. Electric power is supplied from the Trevallyn station on the South Esk River, supplemented by an oil-fired thermal plant. The first metal was produced there in 1955, and operations combine the reduction of alumina from bauxite received from Weipa and Gladstone, Queen., and the production of aluminum. The capacity is more than 90,000 tons annually. Other activities include the manufacture of aluminum paint, as well as aluminum powder and paste for explosives. The port also has a ferromanganese plant and a bulk oil terminal. Large ore carriers approach Bell Bay via deepwater channels. Some processed materials are shipped through Launceston, 30 mi (50 km) south.