NSW Premier Chris Minns says Rio Tinto has to be more committed to Tomago’s survival

Premier Chris Minns has called on Rio Tinto to make a decision on the fate of Australia's largest aluminium smelter as 1000 Hunter jobs hang in the balance.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has called on Rio Tinto to make a decision on the future of its Tomago aluminium smelter as 1000 jobs and the economy of the Hunter Region hang in the balance.

As the smelter faces a shutdown due to soaring energy costs, Mr Minns said the NSW government could not find itself in a position where it is “more committed to the survival” of the site than its owners.

It comes as both the state and federal government have put forward offers to try to keep Tomago Aluminium open past the end of its energy supply contract in 2028.

“We’ve already spoken with the owners of Tomago, Rio Tinto, and I’m being honest with you when I say that they haven’t agreed to both the federal and the state offers in relation to that enterprise,” Mr Minns said on Thursday.

“We can’t be in a position where the government is more committed to the survival of Tomago than the owners, so they’re going to have to make a decision.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the government could not be in a position where it is “more committed” to Tomago than its owners. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

“But ultimately, we don’t want to wait.”

On Tuesday, Tomago Aluminium chief executive Jerome Dozol said the facility could not find a “commercially viable” pathway past 2028 due to the rise in energy prices and “significant uncertainty” over renewable energy projects.

Tomago Aluminium is based in the Hunter Region of NSW and faces closure after 2028.

The shutdown of the facility would leave about 1000 employees out of work.

It would also leave the country without its largest aluminium smelter, which produces nearly 40 per cent of Australia’s aluminium and contributes roughly $2.2 billion annually to the national economy.

Mr Minns said the government was “looking at the Hunter Region” where Tomago is based as one of the “drivers for economic growth for NSW”.

“We are looking at major opportunities, not for assistance, but investment in this crucial part of NSW,” he said.

Mr Minn’s optimism has been a sharp departure from debate on the federal level, where Nationals Senator Matt Canavan and the Coalition have slammed Anthony Albanese for pushing the facility towards closure in its pursuit of net zero.

On Wednesday, Mr Canavan told the Prime Minister to “go back to Tomago” and apologise to workers.

But the local Labor MP Meryl Swanson said the factors behind the potential shutdown were years in the making, describing the energy crunch as a “ problem (that) has been a long time coming”.