
India’s renewable energy transition is gathering pace, with installed renewable power capacity surpassing 300 gigawatts (GW) in 2026, almost quadrupling over the past decade. The country has also achieved its target of sourcing 50 per cent of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources five years ahead of schedule, strengthening its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing clean energy markets. The expansion is beginning to deliver measurable energy security benefits by reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, while competitive renewable power costs and expanding domestic manufacturing are opening new investment opportunities. However, sustaining this momentum will require substantial improvements in electricity transmission, storage infrastructure and...
Glencore has defended its progress on the Aurukun bauxite project in Queensland, saying it has met all commitments under its licence conditions, as calls for greater scrutiny mount over its proposed sale to Rio Tinto. Queensland MP Robbie Katter, a member of the Parliamentary Primary Industries and Resources Committee, is seeking an inquiry into the deal. The reported sale value has been put at USD 250 million, though this figure has not been confirmed. Katter questioned why a multinational company should hold a public resource without developing it and then sell its interests. He said, “That resource is owned by the people of Queensland, it’s not the government’s to play around with, or for any of these global mining companies to just trade.” Explore the production, demand and...
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After a yearlong investment spree of US$2 million for the complete retribution of its Mankato aluminium can manufacturing plant, Crown Beverage Packaging is now plotting to add a humungous solar array by 2024 complementing the company’s facility situated mid-way between Riverfront Drive and Third Avenue. Crown Holdings, an internationally acknowledged producer of food and beverage packaging solutions, aims to suffice 75 per cent of its electricity requirement using only renewable energy by the next ten years and completely aloof of fossil fuel by 2040. The plant manager Corey Darula seemed quite optimistic about the addition of this solar array as he cited that the adjoining land to the facility had been a barren unused piece of land for a long period of time, but now if it acts as the...

According to the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), the most recent banking crisis is weakening market confidence, with UK non-ferrous traders reporting reduced tonnage. The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) is the only global recycling industry federation representing more than 30,000 companies around the globe, with a direct membership of over 900 companies and 37 national associations from 68 countries. BIR members are world leaders in the supply of raw materials and a key pillar for sustainable economic development. On March 23, 2023, the first federation to support the interests of the recycling industry on an international scale, BIR stated in its report that the emergency bailout of Credit Suisse and other trade and banking shocks "have proven once again that...

Fiido C21 Pro and C22 Pro e-bikes come packed with centrally-mounted displays and gravel tires. The newly launched e-bike also includes a remote unlocking system and uses a step-over frame in contrast to the C21 Pro's step-through construction. A 17.5kg front fork made of aluminium alloy is used on the C21/C22 Pro. On dirt roads, the 700C wheels are capable of moving with ease. A 9-speed derailleur gear with optional auxiliary batteries is also available. The IPS back-lit screens of the Fiido C21/C22 Pro variants are centrally placed with IP67-rated. The two models are the first to go on sale with Fiido Watch compatibility. The wearer can use the Fildo Watch to unlock a linked C21 or C22 Pro. The 250W rear hub motor on the new Fiido e-bikes with the S200 torque sensor allows for top...

Senior Architectural Systems, UK’s one of the most profound private firms manufacturing aluminium fenestration solutions, has recently posted about a new RIBA-approved Continuous Personal Development (CPD) seminar that illustrates the ‘Evolution of Thermally Broken Window Profiles’. The CPD seminar has been designed to educate architects and interior designers about using thermally efficient window systems to achieve the new lower U-value protocols as specified by Part L of the Building Regulations. The seminar revolves around the development of aluminium window systems breaking down the most preliminary designs that contain polyamide thermal barriers and the more recent modules featuring exponential use of polyurethane foam for augmented utility. The seminar also defines a much broader...

On March 27, 2023, Marubeni Corp. reported that aluminium stocks at three major Japanese ports, Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka, dipped by 2.6 per cent to 382,400 tonnes at the end of February 2023 from 392,500 tonnes from January 2023. Japan's largest trading company, Marubeni Corp., has been functionalised for over 160 years. The Tokyo headquartered Marubeni continues expanding its businesses globally, with a presence in over 65 countries and 130 branches and offices worldwide. The data was collected by the Japanese trading giant Marubeni from the ports of Yokohama, Nagoya, and Osaka. It stood at 382,400 tonnes in February, 392,500 in January, and 294,600 in December 2022. The latest AlCircle industry-focused report, ‘Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2023’ , unveils that the primary...

LME aluminium opened at US$2,341 per tonne on Monday, with its high and low at US$2,372 per tonne and US$2,323 per tonne, respectively, before closing at US$2,365 per tonne, an increase of US$21 per tonne or 0.9 per cent. On Monday, March 27, both LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price increased by US$33 per tonne or 1.45 per cent to halt at US$2,297 per tonne and US$2,298 per tonne. 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price grew by US$28 per tonne or 1.21 per cent and US$27.5 per tonne or 1.18 per cent to peg at US$2,340 per tonne and US$2,340.50 per tonne. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price gained US$25 per tonne or 0.99 per cent to close at US$2,538 per tonne and US$2,543 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock settled at 527875 tonnes....

Feadship, the Netherlands-based yacht builder, has released the first illustrations of Bahamas Cruiser, the 36.5 metres long aluminium super yacht with a sophisticated layout, sleek external lines eco-friendly technology, and is made to appeal to both young and elderly, inexperienced and new owners. De Voogt Naval Architects and FM Architettura, the design teams behind the 88.38-meter Feadship superyacht Zen and the 55.2-meter superyacht Somnium, worked together to create her. The yacht's main deck has many windows and 2.4-metre-high ceilings. Her interior is, as a result, light and airy, with an abundance of natural light. Her main deck aft open-air patio, which puts passengers closer to the water, also blurs the line between her indoor and outside areas. While her main stateroom, which...

A global producer of polycarbonate and glass roof glazing systems, Twinfix has unveiled a new product in their company catalogue known as Alu-Link-Panel. This robust aluminium roof system has been specially crafted to mirror a utopian, sophisticated and rigid roofing solution for innumerable applications. Alu-Link-Panel is composed of high-quality aluminium and is extremely durable. The aluminium panels can be ordered previously to add full-scale customisation so that it is compatible with the user’s requirement. The solution is easy to mount, and it curtails manpower and time to a great extent. The aluminium panels are so sleek that they can be used in a wide range of applications like in schools, commercial buildings, hospitals and sports facilities. The Director at Twinfix, Vicky...

According to the Shanghai Metals Market survey, China’s social inventories of aluminium ingot have continued destocking over the weekend ending March 27, 2023. Data shows the inventories have decreased by 18,000 tonnes from Thursday, March 23, to total 1.11 million tonnes but stand 55,000 tonnes higher than the same period last year. High aluminium prices suppressed trades in the second half of last week, while traders were cautious about buying after the delivery of long-term orders, resulting in weekly shipments falling to 150,000 tonnes last week. To know the current status of primary aluminium inventories across China, refer to the chart below: In Nanhai, primary aluminium inventories have slumped by 9,000 tonnes over the weekend, totalling 248,000 tonnes as of March 27 versus 257,000...

Aludecor, India's one of the most competitive players in the Metal Composite Panel business, has formed an alliance with the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) to carry out extensive R&D on the Fire Retardant properties of Aluminium Composite Panels. Gaurav Srivastava, the project head from the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Gandhinagar, submitted an in-depth research report to Aludecor's Management during an event hosted at the campus just a few days back. The Fire Engineering Research Laboratory (FERL) at IIT Gandhinagar at this moment houses the best-in-class testing facilities to be utilised for research, innovation, product R&D and certification procedures for various products. The state-of-the-art facility hosts prime machinery like; a cone calorimeter (100...

The beverage container return program, launched by the Singapore-based National Environment Agency (NEA), is expected to start on April 1, 2025. With this scheme, the organisation intends to raise Singapore's recycling rate, lower the quantity of garbage disposed of, and lower carbon emissions. The programme will impose a 10-cent refundable deposit on all pre-packaged beverages, aluminium cans and plastic bottles with a capacity of 150 millilitres to 3 litres. This deposit will be repaid entirely when empty beverage containers like aluminium cans or bottles are returned to the appropriate return stations. A deposit mark and barcode will be visible on all beverage containers covered by the programme. While the barcode makes it easier to return containers and acts as an anti-fraud tool, the...

Another UK region, the Eastleigh Borough Council, has been registered with the coffee pod returning drive, Podback. The Eastleigh Council has expanded its weekly recycling drive to include plastic or aluminium coffee pods, which would now be collected with the community's other organic waste. The Podback coffee pod recycling programme is customisable to suit a residence in the borough. To be registered within the non-profit organisation's loop, one has to sign up for the service through Podback's official website . The registered individuals will receive Podback collection bags for the safe transportation of waste products along with the community food waste bins. Flat-dwellers can also register for the recycling drive, as Podback collection bags are available for every type of customer....

The Mannheim John Deere plant is celebrating the production of its two millionth tractor, a 6R 250. On March 22, 2022, the tractor was unveiled at the Mannheim plant and displayed alongside the one-millionth tractor, a JD 6400, in the factory museum. One million John Deere took 70 years to produce from the initial production day, but the second million rolled off the line in just 30 years. At the site, approximately 3,300 employees assist in the production of 40,000 tractors per year before the tractors are exported worldwide. However, the plant is more than just a production site. It is also a development site for all John Deere medium tractors. The primary emphasis is on performance, comfort, and efficiency. Tractor cabs today have all of the luxuries of a car, including automatic air...

Alumina supply from China, the Middle East and Brazil witnessed growth in 2022. China ranked as the largest alumina producer, while Australia was the world's second-largest alumina producer in 2022. The commissioning of new capacities in China and the supply from Brazil remained key sector drivers. Australia countered the offsetting of the alumina deficit caused by operations-related issues at its refineries during 2022. In the short-term, demand for alumina and alumina prices will continue to be influenced by the need for primary aluminium and the slowing of global economic growth in 2023. AlCircle's latest industry-focused report, 'Aluminium Industry Outlook 2023' , reveals that in 2022, the global alumina production was 139.2 million tonnes, a slight increase from 138.6 million tonnes...

On March 27, the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) announced the initiation of Aluminium Forward 2030, a conglomeration between IAI's 25 production members and 20 downstream customer brands who have devoted all their expertise to modernising the aluminium industry. The goal of Aluminium Forward 2030 is to encourage a rapid transition toward Net Zero by following a course in adherence with other UN Sustainable Development Goals. This newly introduced IAI programme encompasses multiple brands in the electrical, transport, automotive, construction and aluminium packaging sectors, underlining that partnerships can easily eliminate impossible hurdles in the aluminium chain. The IAI plans to extend its partnership avenues in the beverage can sector, strengthening the existing ties with...

The United States aluminium crude metals and alloys imports from Canada started the year 2023 with a monthly decline of 27,000 tonnes or 10.51 per cent to stand at 230,000 tonnes, found the recent survey by the US Census Bureau. The import volume fell in January 2023, following an increase in the previous month. According to USGS data, the United States imported 257,000 tonnes in December 2022, up by 41.28 per cent or 75,000 tonnes from 182,000 tonnes in November. However, on a year-on-year basis, the United States aluminium crude metals and alloys imports in January 2023 stood 18.56 per cent or 36,000 tonnes higher than 194,000 tonnes. Last year, the United States total imports of aluminium crude metals and alloys from Canada were 2.57 million tonnes. The United States total imports of...

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the world's largest aluminium smelters ex-China, announced that the Power Station 5 (PS5) Block 4 Project is progressing per the schedule. Alba's Chairman of the Board of Directors, Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa stated that the Power Station 5 (PS5) Block 4 Project is progressing without any problems. "Alba's Block 4 Project has started to take shape with the completion of early milestones as per schedule; thus, allowing us to prepare for the major activities on site. We look forward to safely delivering Block 4, a key Project under Alba's ESG Roadmap, on schedule and as planned by Q4 2024," said Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa. According to Alba, all civil foundation construction for the Block 4 Project's primary equipment was...

According to the Shanghai Metals Market, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and Pakistan were the five top suppliers of unwrought aluminium alloy to China during January-February 2023. In the first two months of the year, China imported 168,900 tonnes of unwrought aluminium alloy, reflecting a year-on-year plunge of 39,500 or 18.9 per cent. As per the SMM data, Malaysia exported the highest amount of alloy to China, supplying 73,500 tonnes, followed by Thailand providing 15,500 tonnes. Malaysia accounted for 43.5 per cent of China’s total unwrought aluminium alloy imports, while that of Thailand accounted for 9.2 per cent. Vietnam, South Kore, and Pakistan exported 13,200 tonnes, 12,100 tonnes, and 5,600 tonnes, respectively, accounting for 7.8 per cent, 7.2 per cent and 3.3 per...