In the wake of last week’s power failure which limited production at the plant and the end of a lucrative electricity subsidy from the state government, Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber said the Andrews Government should “fast-track the establishment of a transition taskforce” for staff.

“We can’t sit around and wait for the company to make decisions before we start preparing for the closure,” Mr Barber said.

“Hazelwood employees and the community received just six months warning that the power station would close.

“Workers at the smelter in Portland might not even receive that.

“After spending billions subsidising Alcoa’s electricity over decades, surely the government can provide some funds for regional economic development.

“The government needs to come up with a plan to manage this transition.”

Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell said the Greens were “jumping the gun”.

“It is paramount the smelter stays open,” Mrs Britnell said.

“I spent Friday in Portland listening to the community’s concerns about what impact the potential closure of the smelter would have on not only Portland, but the entire district. 

“The focus needs to be on returning the smelter to full production and from my discussions with Alcoa, they seem confident that can be achieved.”

Alcoa is continuing to stabilise the Portland smelter after it experienced a power outage last week, which led to the shutdown of one of the two potlines.

“We are now beginning to assess the operational impact of the outage and, given the significance of this event, we have substantial challenges and analysis ahead of us,” an Alcoa spokesperson said.

Alcoa did not respond to the Victorian Greens’ comments.

Glenelg Shire mayor Anita Rank praised staff for their efforts since the power failure and said there must be a “focus on securing the future of the smelter and protecting local jobs”.

“The importance of Portland Aluminium to both the local, state and national economy is well understood and is pleasing to see the state and federal governments working with a sense of urgency in trying to come to an agreement on the smelter’s future,” she said. 

The ABC reported Alcoa's Portland smelter will operate at under a third of its total capacity for up to six months.