Japanese aluminium manufacturer UACJ Co Ltd has signed a 20-year solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with Hokuriku Electric Power Biz Energy Solution Co Ltd to supply renewable electricity to its Fukui Works. The 7.43 MW solar project in Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture, is expected to deliver 8.5 GWh of electricity annually while reducing UACJ’s carbon dioxide emissions by 27,694 tonnes per year. Private-line solar supply to begin in November Under the agreement announced on October 26, 2026, Hokuriku Electric Power Biz Energy Solution will supply UACJ’s Fukui Works through a dedicated 4.2 km private power line. The offsite solar plant has a capacity of 5 MWAC/7.43 MWDC, with electricity deliveries scheduled to begin on November 1, 2026. Built on a 75,197-square-metre site, equivalent to...
China-based China Aluminum International Engineering Co., Ltd. (CHALIECO) has won a bid for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract valued at approximately USD 833 million for a proposed alumina project in Vietnam, adding to investment activity in the country’s mineral processing sector. The project, being developed by Binh Phuoc Ore Mining and Beneficiation Joint Stock Company, is designed to process 2.4 million tonnes of alumina annually. The proposed contract is valued at around CNY 5.595 billion (USD 839.04 million), with completion expected within 27 months of the contract’s effective date. CHALIECO to oversee turnkey refinery development Under the proposed turnkey arrangement, CHALIECO’s responsibilities will cover the full project delivery process, from...
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Bauxite mining rights across two blocks in Kasaragod are set to be auctioned soon. The State government is finalising the auction process for bauxite deposits in the Narala block, covering an area of 1.5 square kilometres in Mulleria and a 2.8 square kilometres area in the Ukkinadka block located in the villages of Badiyadukka and Enmakaje in Manjeswaram taluk. Both government agencies and private entities will be eligible to bid for the mining rights. Additionally, the State government is actively considering a proposal to explore minerals from the platinum group. The decision to auction bauxite mining rights was taken after studies conducted by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) confirmed the presence of commercially exploitable mineral deposits. Bauxite, a naturally occurring...
South32, a globally diversified mining and metals company, reported strong aluminium production figures for the half-year ended December 2024. The report strongly highlights the company’s focus on operational excellence and resilience amidst external disruptions. According to the company’s December 2024 Quarterly Report, total aluminium production increased by 5 per cent to 604 kilotonnes, compared to 575 kilotonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year. Image Source: https://www.south32.net/ Aluminium’s operational performance The increase in aluminium output was primarily driven by the improved performance of South32’s operations at Hillside Aluminium, Mozal Aluminium, and Brazil Aluminium. Hillside Aluminium in South Africa delivered robust results as the smelter operated...
Welcome back to another edition of Editor's Pick, where we bring you an exciting collection of comebacks, innovations, groundbreaking launches, and more. As 2025 begins to unfold, I can't help but wonder: Where did 2024 disappear to? Both November and December served as a pivotal moment for aluminium's end-user sectors—a time to reflect on the successes of the past year and lay the groundwork for a brighter, more sustainable future. What is that one thing that aluminium can't do? The question is a bit difficult to answer. Because aluminium is omnipresent – from our kitchen to the industries, aluminium's adaptability and sustainability have cemented its significance across diverse sectors, including automotive, construction, packaging, aerospace, and consumer electronics. The year 2024 has...
Metlen Energy & Metals, an Athens-listed group, has asserted a substantial investment of 295.5 million euros aimed at the development of an incorporated bauxite, alumina and gallium production line. Image Source: https://www.metlengroup.com/ The investment was approved on January 16, 2025, during the joint session with the enterprise’s Capital Allocation Committee (CAC) and is going to be for the historic Aluminium of Greece plant in Agios Nikolaos, Viotia. Evangelos Mytilineos, Metlen President and CEO stated: “Metlen’s decision to proceed with the implementation of a new, emblematic industrial investment for the production of bauxite, alumina and gallium strengthens Europe’s self-sufficiency in critical raw materials, as well as Greece’s strategic position on the world map. It also...
On Monday, January 20, 2025, Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese declared an AU$ 2 billion (US$1.24 billion) investment strategy to foster the Australian aluminium production journey towards a greener future. Aluminium smelters transitioning to renewable power, with every tonne of the metal produced using renewable electricity over a 10-year period to 2036, is deemed to fall under the payment scheme of the funding. Image Source: https://gmk.center/ Albanes has shared that investing in the local aluminium industry is a ‘massive opportunity’ to create jobs and set Australia up for the future, adding, “We’ve got the resources, the workers, and the know-how -- the only thing we don’t have is time to waste.” The prime minister optimistically conveyed, “We are building Australia’s...
As the aluminium industry braces for 2025, it stands at the confluence of innovation, sustainability, and market transformation. The forthcoming "Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2025" delves deep into the dynamics set to redefine the global aluminium landscape, equipping stakeholders with unparalleled insights to navigate the evolving terrain. The emerging landscape In 2025, aluminium's unparalleled properties—lightweight, recyclable, and durable—will underpin its critical role across major sectors. Automotive lightweighting for fuel efficiency, renewable energy infrastructure, urban construction, and advanced packaging solutions will amplify its demand. The industry's robust recovery, marked by primary production exceeding production by more than 2023 and secondary production reaching...
On January 17, 2025, the India-headquartered Ashapura Minechem Ltd, a leading bauxite exporter, announced that its overseas subsidiary had signed a long-term memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Railway. The agreement establishes a strategic partnership to collaboratively develop the bauxite deposit in Guinea's Kindia region. This strategic alliance reflects Ashapura's vision of expanding its footprint in the global bauxite market. It highlights the increasing importance of cross-border collaborations in the mining sector to meet global resource demands. In a regulatory filing, Ashapura Minechem stated, "We wish to inform you that the company’s overseas subsidiary has entered into a long-term Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China Railway, a Global Fortune 500 Company, to...
Midal Cables B.S.C., a manufacturer of aluminium rod and overhead electrical transmission cables and conductors, has received the Performance Standard V3 (2022) Certification from ASI for its environmentally-conscious operations at its Ashkar facility in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Image Source: Midal Cables The facility, with five casting lines, manufactures and exports aluminium wires, rods, and conductors for a wide range of industrial applications. It has an annual production capacity of 260,000 tonnes. The ASI Performance Standard V3 (2022) was launched in May 2022, defining 11 principles and 62 criteria under three sustainability pillars- Environment, Social, and Governance. The objective is to address pressing sustainability issues in the aluminium value chain, such as biodiversity,...
This week, the upstream segment of the global aluminium industry has been under the spotlight, with significant developments spanning from bauxite extraction to primary aluminium production. The focus intensifies as the European Union is considering the release of its 16th sanctions package against Russia in February 2025, coinciding with the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It remains to be seen how the European Union will manage the potential shortage of aluminium supply in its domestic market. On Thursday, January 16, the three major players in the Indian aluminium industry—Vedanta Limited, National Aluminium Company (NALCO), and Hindalco Industries Limited—saw their intraday stock prices rise by 2 to 3 per cent. One of the reasons for this price hike could be...
The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) and the European Recycling Industries Confederation (EuRIC) reportedly wrote letters to the European Union, cautioning potential threats to the European domestic scrap industry if protectionist measures are taken in response to the appeal by the European Steel Association (Eurofer) and European Aluminium for an effective action to tackle scrap leakage in a bid to attain national sustainability vision and secure industrial competitiveness. Image Source: European Aluminium EuRIC said in a statement that scrap exports by the European traders have kept the domestic recycling market alive, so any restrictions on scrap exports will cause injury to the recycling businesses and the EU’s overall economy. Highlighting the potentially harmful consequences,...
The non-ferrous green metal has changed the nation’s economic sustainability for countries like USA and UAE. Yes, we are talking about aluminium’s indispensability in domestic as well as commercial sectors across the globe. However, India is yet to utilise the full potential of one of the most promising base metals. With timely interventions, India can depend upon aluminium as the cornerstone of its Viksit Bharat vision, nurturing a bright economic future for the republic. Recent global incidents have endowed India with a hoard of opportunities and challenges, wherein bullish trade dynamics in aluminium are resurging off the back of its versatile applications. China’s decision to put a stop to its export tax rebate policy is a significant development that is likely to increase the price...
Emirates Global Aluminium wears another hat of success on the occasion of the landmark launch of MBZ-SAT, as the region's most advanced satellite contains EGA's Celestial solar aluminium. Launched on Tuesday, January 14, from the Space Launch Complex 4E at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US, MBZ-SAT was developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), using EGA's Celestial solar aluminium produced in Jebel Ali smelter. Aluminium has been a critical material used in space technologies since the launch of the first satellite in 1957, owing to its unique properties like lightweight, strength and resistance to corrosion. Aligned with the 'Make it in the Emirates' programme, EGA and MBRSC's collaboration represents a remarkable milestone in the space sector. 'Make it...
An international team of engineers has pioneered a scalable and innovative approach to fabricating topography-patterned aluminium surfaces, significantly enhancing liquid transport capabilities. These advancements hold great promise for critical applications, including electronics cooling, self-cleaning technologies, and anti-icing systems. Image Source: research website An important step in tailored surface engineering The research, recently published in Langmuir, was a collaborative effort between Rice University and the University of Edinburgh under the Rice-Edinburgh Strategic Collaboration Awards program. It highlights the use of cost-efficient vinyl masking techniques to create surfaces with high-resolution wettability contrast, unlocking new potential for improving phase-change...
On Thursday, January 16, the three musketeers of the Indian aluminium industry - Vedanta Limited, National Aluminium Company (NALCO), and Hindalco Industries Limited saw a 2 to 3 per cent gain in their intraday stock prices. The contributing factor was the increased aluminium prices to $2,606 per tonne on the same day, following the hike of 3.3 per cent in the previous week and marking a steady bullish trend over a more extended period of one year. Image Source: Freepik Additionally, two other global tailwinds buoyed the domestic stock prices: China's projected record-high aluminium production by the end of 2025 and the European Union's proposed 16th package sanctions on Russian aluminium. Emkay Research, a renowned India-based financial firm, expects global aluminium prices to remain...
The groundbreaking ceremony for Shanxi Huaxing Aluminum's waste heat utilisation project was successfully carried out. The waste heat utilisation project marks a significant step forward in advancing energy efficiency, emission reduction, and environmentally friendly production practices. The project aims to recover waste heat from the flue gas of the roaster by facilitating heat exchange between the roaster's flue gas and the high-temperature section of the fluidised bed cooler using a circulating heat medium water system. The plan is to lower the roaster's flue gas temperature from 160°C to 110°C and reduce the discharge temperature of the fluidised bed cooler to below 80°C. The project will incorporate an advanced automated control system to guarantee the system's efficiency and stable...
Norsk Hydro ASA has successfully issued €500 million of senior unsecured green bonds under its Euro Medium Term Note (EMTN) Programme. The new bond has a tenure of seven years and a fixed annual coupon of 3.625 per cent (3.649 per cent reoffer yield). Image Source: Hydro “We are very satisfied to have completed such a successful placement and issued our inaugural green bond. The strong interest confirms that Hydro is an attractive investment for bond investors. We are pleased to have achieved highly competitive terms,” said CFO Trond Olaf Christophersen. A green Eurobond is a type of bond issued to fund environmentally friendly projects within the European Union (EU). The proceeds from green Eurobonds are used to finance projects contributing to a low-carbon economy. The funds raised from...
Novelis, the world's largest recycler of aluminium, has been a driving force in advancing circularity and decarbonising the aluminium industry to foster a more sustainable future. This week, Novelis' Uhrichsville plant achieved a significant milestone by being recognised as a Sustainability Lighthouse by the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Lighthouse Network (GLN). As the first U.S.-based aluminium manufacturer to earn this distinction, Novelis is proud to join the ranks of visionary industry leaders transforming global sustainability practices. Image Source: World Economic Forum Achieving an industry-leading 97 per cent recycled content The Novelis facility in Uhrichsville, Ohio, home to 400 dedicated employees, has earned this prestigious recognition by achieving an industry-leading...
CITIC Dicastal’s Morocco plant has been recognised as Africa’s first ‘Lighthouse Factory’ by the World Economic Forum, marking a significant milestone in the continent’s embrace of intelligent manufacturing, particularly among nations participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. Experts have said that this recognition also supports Africa’s industrialisation and sustainable development. A ‘Lighthouse Factory’ represents the pinnacle of intelligent manufacturing and digitalisation, serving as a model for the best practices in applying ‘Industry 4.0’ technologies. The latest cohort of Lighthouse Factories offers a blueprint for the accelerated deployment of artificial intelligence solutions that enhance productivity, improve problem-solving capabilities, and foster innovation, according...
