Alusuisse

In the late 1960s the company also became involved in another contentious public issue through its joint venture, Nabalco, which was developing a bauxite deposit in northern Australia on land claimed by the indigenous people of that area; leading to the Gove land rights case.

The market for their aluminium did not meet expectations and the company began to use some of the electrical production for nitric acid manufacture (Birkeland–Eyde process).

In the 1950s the company acquired a concession to 30% of the flow from the dam built at the Lac de Moiry, and constructed a factory at Ernen.

[3] In 1969 the company invested in the development of a large alumina refinery and bauxite mine in the Gove Peninsula, Australia, through the joint venture Nabalco.

The development which included the creation of a sea harbour, housing for 5000 people, and was worth over 1 billion swiss francs.

The plant was acquired from Hawker Siddley's High Duty Alloys division, originally operating as a rolling mill and foundry.

[4] During the 1980s, the company restructured, closing outdated plants, downsizing, and modernising its semi-finished aluminium production facilities.