Mexico hopes to secure a favourable response from the United States to its request for lower tariffs on aluminium, steel and vehicles before the end of 2026, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said. The Trump administration imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Mexican aluminium and steel and 25 per cent tariffs on vehicles, with an exemption for vehicles with US content. The duties were introduced on national security grounds under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act. Speaking at a press conference in Mexico City, the Economy Minister said Mexican officials had presented technical arguments and supporting evidence to US authorities to justify reducing the tariffs. He argued that the United States runs a steel trade surplus with Mexico, making the tariffs on the metal unjustified from the...
A proposed AUD 3.7 billion data centre at the former Hydro Aluminium Kurri Kurri industrial site in New South Wales, Australia, could repurpose a major industrial property for digital infrastructure, with an estimated peak construction workforce of 1,210 people and around 254 ongoing jobs. The Kurri Kurri Data Centre project, proposed at Hart Road, Loxford, is seeking approval for the fit-out and operation of a large-scale data storage facility with a planned power consumption of 550.5 megawatts (MW). The development application, listed as a State Significant Development under reference SSD-128819490, is currently at the public exhibition stage. The proposal highlights how former aluminium industry sites could find new uses as demand for data storage and computing infrastructure expands....
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Can Makers UK, the influential trade association representing British beverage can manufacturers, has appointed John O’Maoileoin as its new chair, marking a strategic leadership shift at the heart of a dynamic and evolving packaging sector. To know the aluminium market outlook for 2026 and beyond, get an access to our report: Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 O’Maoileoin, who currently serves as Global Group Sustainability Director at CANPACK, succeeds Tim Conybeare, commercial director for UK & Ireland at Crown Bevcan EMEA, after Conybeare’s term concluded under the organisation’s rotating leadership system. With over 15 years of commercial experience spanning roles at CANPACK, Aldi, Dairy Crest and Tesco, O’Maoileoin brings a blend of sustainability insight and brand strategy...
India’s transport transition is often framed as a contest between internal combustion engines and electric mobility. The data, along with the lived reality of energy demand, suggest something far less binary. As Dr Chanchal Samanta, DGM of Bharat Petroleum, made clear in his remarks at the ongoing India Energy Week 2026, India is not facing a fuel choice problem. It is managing a growth problem. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain Electric vehicles are rightfully positioned as the sustainable endpoint for transport. But for a country like India, the energy system is expanding faster than substitution can realistically occur. “One is growth, and one is total growth,” Samanta said, pointing to the gap the...
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest company among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the aluminium industry, has achieved a major construction milestone at its aluminium recycling plant in Al Taweelah, with the facility’s giant melting furnace charged with aluminium scrap for the first time. The development is an indication of the shift towards domestic recycled aluminium production to bridge the bauxite sourcing gap caused by Guinea’s policy of revoking bauxite mining licences from foreign countries in August 2025 to boost state control. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain The outcome marks a significant step closer to the completion of the Al Taweelah aluminium recycling plant...
SMS Group, on January 21, celebrated the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility, directly reflecting its international expansion strategy. By introducing this state-of-the-art technology, the firm is not only highlighting its growth but is also addressing the increasing demand in one of the world’s most vibrant steel markets. The new site, with 160 employees and nearly 400 contracts on board, forms another pillar of the SMS Group’s global manufacturing operations located in Sanand near Ahmedabad. The site will be manufacturing machines and equipment, which will aid in processing flat and long products alongside the forging technology. Nearly 250 guests, from both the political and business sectors, attended the event, which was officially opened with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting...
For years, aluminium strength was measured in smelters and megawatts. Primary metal sat at the heart of industrial growth, and power determined who could scale and who could not. That formula is starting to lose its hold. In both China and the United States - the world’s two largest aluminium markets, the focus is shifting away from energy-intensive primary production and toward a material once treated as secondary material in literal sense: aluminium scrap . The US has already taken a decisive step in that direction. China has been found to be increasing its secondary aluminium consumption and hence its imports to a great extent – but the question remains whether the country is shifting its focus from primary aluminium to secondary metal. China’s aluminium consumption profile provides...
Scientists of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor have achieved a notable milestone in nitride semiconductor research by realising an exceptionally high two-dimensional electron gas density at room temperature in an aluminium nitride/gallium nitride heterostructure. Grown using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, the structure employs a single-channel design with a 9 nm AlN barrier, enabling electron concentrations above 1 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² - an outcome that places this material system at the forefront of reported performance levels. To know the aluminium market outlook for 2026 and beyond, get an access to our report: Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 Reported in Applied Physics Letters (Vol. 127, p. 243505, 2025), the work identifies how precise strain management and interface...
India has extended the deadline for the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification through a mandatory Quality Control Order (QCO) for aluminium cans used in soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and food processing. The decision has helped in easing the supply pressure of aluminium cans right ahead of the summer demand. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain Brought under the BIS certifications in April 2025, manufacturers like Coca-Cola and United Breweries Ltd were facing a supply disruption of aluminium cans, a threat looming large just before the demand for aluminium-canned drinks in the summer. The shortage led to an import rush from Sri Lanka and the Middle East to tackle the seasonal demand. The...
The traditional question, "Is demand going up or down?" is no longer relevant for the downstream aluminium industry. The better questions for 2026 are where demand stays steady, where it weakens, and which products show resilience even though the economy is not looking up. Downstream is where aluminium turns into real revenue with extrusion orders, FRP deliveries, casting programmes, long-term OEM supply lines and so on. In 2026 and beyond, the demand will become even more uneven and selective, thereby creating clear pockets of strength and stress. AL Circle’s flagship report Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 highlights that the market is not collapsing; it’s splitting into winners and laggards. This article is broken down into different downstream product demands, their end-use...
On January 26, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), a global leader in aluminium production and Century Aluminum Company, a producer of standard-grade, high-purity and value-added primary aluminium products, announced a joint development. This agreement focuses on building the first new primary aluminium production plant in the US since 1980. As per the agreement drafted, EGA will hold 60 per cent share of the joint venture and the remaining 40 per cent will be owned by Century Aluminum. Adhering to the agreement announced by EGA, the new plant will be built in Inola, Oklahoma. This plant shall hold the capacity of producing 750 thousand tonnes of aluminium per year, which is much larger than what has been previously envisioned and doubles the current US production rate. Besides production,...
Aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange continued to rise on January 26, with both cash and 3-month forwards reporting gains in contrast to the inventories, which showed a decline. The LME aluminium cash bid price climbed to USD 3,190 on January 26 from USD 3,174.5 per tonne on January 23, increasing by 0.5 per cent. The cash offer price rose to USD 3,192 per tonne from USD 3,175 per tonne, also up by 0.54 per cent day-on-day. In the forward market, the LME aluminium 3-month bid price increased to USD 3,195 on January 26 from USD 3,176 per tonne on January 23, a gain of 0.6 per cent. The 3-month offer price rose to USD 3,195.5 from USD 3,177 per tonne, reflecting a similar 0.6 per cent increase. The December 27 aluminium contract saw a decline. The bid price slipped to USD 3,133 on...
Metro Mining finished 2025 with a set of neat operational checkboxes, including a reported 6.2 million wet metric tonnes (WMT) shipped for the calendar year (December volumes were 543,000 WMT), a year-end cash position of AUD 57 million, and the grinding down of junior liabilities that management says improved net leverage. To know the aluminium market outlook for 2026 and beyond, get an access to our report: Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 Those outcomes matter because Metro is a single-asset producer operating from Cape York’s Bauxite Hills, where the operation’s optionality is tightly tethered to a single logistics route and a finite reserve base. Metro’s own materials put Bauxite Hills’ reserve at roughly 83.2-89.5 million tonnes and total resources in the c.118Mt range, enough...
Image source: EGA Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has secured a place in the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, a recognition reserved for manufacturing operations that have successfully embedded advanced technologies into day-to-day production. The announcement places the UAE-based producer among a small group of industrial players globally recognised for large-scale use of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions. The designation carries particular significance for EGA. It is the first industrial company in the UAE outside the oil and gas sector to receive Lighthouse status, and the first aluminium producer worldwide to join the network. This recognition clearly marks the company’s shift in focus from pilot projects to enterprise-wide deployment of digital and...
Intending to revamp energy configuration for aluminium operations , NALCO is making sincere efforts to reduce carbon emissions from its power-intensive industrial processes by minimising its dependence on coal-based captive power generation. Presently, the state-owned miner and metal producer is evaluating the development of 200–300 MW of renewable power capacity, supported by battery energy storage systems, to ensure a steady electricity supply for its smelters. NALCO currently operates 1,100 MW of captive coal-fired power plants, which contribute close to 80 per cent of its total carbon emissions. Coal-generated electricity is priced at around INR 3 to 3.5 (3.3 to 3.8 cents) and offers cost advantages, while renewable power remains extremely expensive, with tariffs ranging from INR 4.5...
American buyers are now to pay a 68 per cent premium over the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price to get physical metal. This is the result of Trump’s increasing import tariffs from 10 per cent to 25 per cent back in March and then ramping them up to 50 per cent in June. The premium for physical delivery in the US Midwest is now traded at an additional USD 560 per metric tonne above the implied tariff cost, indicating a total aluminium price increasing more than USD 5,000 per tonne. The country is now grappling with a shortage of a metal necessary for various industries, from automotive and aerospace to construction and packaging. Although on paper, the needed supply should flow in due to the record-high premium for US delivery, but the reality is rather challenging. Also read:...
The Chinese coking coal market is expected to undergo a new phase of rebalancing in 2026, shaped by both supportive and restrictive policy impacts. While these mixed forces are anticipated to drive up coking coal prices, a persistent uptrend is unlikely to be seen this year due to persistent capacity surplus of the feed coal and uncertainty in downstream demand, Mysteel's latest annual report of the commodity predicts. According to Mysteel's estimates, the price anchor of the leading brand Anze low-sulfur primary coking coal extracted in North China's Shanxi province may stand between Yuan 1,400-1,450 per tonne (USD 201-208 per tonne) EXW with VAT this year, marking a mild rise of around 2 per cent on year. The highest level for the grade could rise to Yuan 1,800 per tonne within the...
Going by the world primary aluminium production trend since 2020, 2025 saw the slowest pace in half a decade, reflecting a structural shift rather than a cycling dip. According to the International Aluminium Institute, world primary aluminium production grew by only 1.06 per cent, a sharpest deceleration from the 3.24 per cent growth recorded in 2024. Between 2020 and 2023, the world primary aluminium production growth remained between 2.4 and 2.9 per cent, underscoring how exceptional 2025 proved to be. Yet despite this muted growth, 2025 became one of the most closely watched years for the aluminium industry, as it coincided with China nearing its long-anticipated 45‑million‑tonne production cap and a visible pivot across regions from primary production to recycling-led supply...
At the event in New Delhi, NITI Aayog shared three reports which talked about the roadmap for decarbonisation for sectors like aluminium, cement and other MSMEs. At the event, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery shared his perspective on the urgency of all MSME sectors towards the country's economic growth and overall development. These three decarbonisation reports by NITI Aayog also build a comprehensive contrivance for navigating the EU’s carbon border tax regime by including clean manufacturing processes for these sectors. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) aims to impose a carbon price on high-emission products like cement, aluminium, iron and steel and fertilisers, which are imported into the EU’s 27 member countries. Bery further pointed out that nudging the MSME...
The Aluminium Association of India (AAI), ahead of the Union Budget for 2026–27, has urged the government to expand the basic customs duty on all aluminium products, including scrap, to 15 per cent. This has been demanded to limit the influx of low-quality imports and protect domestic manufacturers. Image generated by AI for representational purpose The association believes that by initiating this move, it would be possible to align the quality standards for aluminium scrap in India with global leaders like the EU and China, while also preventing the country from becoming a dumping ground for metal waste. Additionally, the AAI pointed out that the domestic aluminium industry, due to unchecked imports, is still under pressure, even though there's enough local capacity to satisfy current...
