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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Bordeaux-based winehouse Barton & Guestier (B&G) launched a new alcohol-free sparkling rosé in 250ml aluminium bottles. The drink was launched considering the young drinkers and also to comply with the environmental factors by reducing the carbon footprint. The smaller format aluminium bottles are recyclable and lighter than glass, weighing only 35g when empty. B&G NectaRose is a premium, sulphite- and sugar-free sparkling rosé that doesn't contain alcohol. The 250ml aluminium bottle was launched as a part of its ongoing commitment to CSR, to gain environmental certifications for all of its brands and lessen the company's total carbon footprint via responsible product development. 85 per cent of B&G's entire carbon footprint is accounted for by the shipping of goods, according to Petra...
On Wednesday, March 22, shares of Jiangsu Dingsheng New Materials Joint-Stock increased by as much as 4.6 per cent after the Chinese producer of aluminium materials announced that it and two of its subsidiaries had signed new contracts with Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). Under the agreement, Dingsheng will be taking care of the aluminium foil requirements of CATL. The CATL facilities in China and Europe will get aluminium foil from Dingsheng and two of its subsidiaries, the Zhenjiang, eastern Jiangsu province-based company announced on Wednesday. Aluminium foil is utilized in new energy vehicle batteries. It also said that its European manufacturing facility, European Metals, would give a specific amount to CATL's factory on the continent between 2024 and 2026. It would meet at...
Mishka, a premixed vodka brand, has launched its flagship concoction in 300ml aluminium slender cans. This move is to eradicate the conventional glass bottle from its packaging line. The company amped with the call for eco-friendly products, has released its five specific flavours in sustainable aluminium cans. The available flavours are as follows; Sweet Raspberry Mango, Watermelon Guava, Tropical Pineapple lime, Lemon Lime & Bitters and Zing Zesty Lemon. An additional "Mix it up a little" version will be commercially available by April 18, loaded with two of the above flavours. To embrace sustainability with their packaging solutions, Mishka has composed the aluminium cans in a way that they hold almost 60 per cent recycled aluminium. Since aluminium is infinitely recyclable, the used...
Beverage manufacturer Britvic posted about an investment of £13 million to introduce a fifth canning line at its Rugby facility. The company excels in manufacturing solid and sustainable aluminium cans for its patented drinks. According to the notifications by Glebe Farm Industrial Estate, the investment will generate almost 20 new job opportunities related to the engineering and manufacturing sector. The addition might also help in positioning present Britvic apprentices as full-time company employees in the firm. The announcement can be regarded as just a portion of the total £40 million investment administered slowly through the past two years. Once complete, this might help the company get registered as one of the five biggest soft drink makers in the European territory. The Britvic...
On March 17, Friday a mishap occurred at one of the facilities of Dicastal North America that produces lightweight aluminium alloy wheels for established automakers. The facility, located 30 miles from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was tattered vehemently by an explosion caused by flying debris from the production process. Dicastal North America develops and supplies aluminium alloy wheels to automobile giants like General Motors (GM), Stellantis, Ford and many other distinctive Japanese car-making companies. A GM representative Dan Flores said the car expert is “aware of the Dicastal facility issue and is working with them to determine any impact to our operations” before concluding with “no additional information to share at this time.” Other Dicastal associates were not vocal about any...
Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill (GARMCO), a counterpart of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, has invested US$24.5 million to expand its development project for a technologically advanced production line for aluminium coils. GARMCO kept the project’s course aligned with the decisions taken by its creditors in November 2021. GARMCO also charted out a refurbishment plan alongside the unit expansion in agreement with the concerned parties since it had filed for reorganisation in February 2019. From the US$24.5 million, almost US$7.5 million will be allotted for materialising the new aluminium coil production line, applying the “continuous casting” methodology to augment productivity. In the long run, this will help the company expand its network and bring in diversification. The development...
On Tuesday, March 22, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative announced the joining of Nothing, the UK-based privately held consumer technology business, as the new Downstream Supporter member. With this partnership the smartphone manufacturer will be better equipped to promote real, long-lasting change in their sector. "We are committed to leading the industry revolution by developing goods that have a minimal negative impact on the environment, with the ultimate goal of taking nothing from the earth to make our product, and leaving nothing behind when it's replaced," said Nothing. Aluminium is the most important component of Nothing's raw material procurement, and it currently uses 100 per cent recycled aluminium in its Phone(1). The main aim of Nothing is to break down technological barriers...
WKD, with a blooming business in the UK, is planning to deploy 250ml aluminium cans across its flagship range. This newly introduced packaging solution can be availed in four or ten-pack modules. The company is very optimistic about this transformation, hoping to reduce material waste and decrease carbon emissions throughout its production line. WKD's proprietary brand SHS Drinks also supports this move and claims the introduction of aluminium cans to its line of products would open complementary usage of upcycled raw materials for the company. The WKD aluminium cans will not affect the taste or flavour of the company's beverage since the non-ferrous metal is completely odourless and keeps the interiors from getting exposed to sunlight, increasing the product's shelf life. WKD will still...
LME aluminium closed at US$2,269 per tonne, down US$14.5 per tonne or 0.63 per cent, from the previous trading day. On Tuesday, March 21, both LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price moved down by US$2.5 per tonne or 0.11 per cent to settle at US$2,234.50 per tonne and US$2,235 per tonne. 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price inched up by US$1.5 per tonne or 0.06 per cent and US$3 per tonne or 0.13 per cent to score at US$2,284 per tonne and US$2,286 per tonne. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price climbed up by US$2 per tonne or 0.08 per cent and 0.07 per cent to rest at US$2,500 per tonne and US$2,505 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock came in at 541875 tonnes. Live warrants and Cancelled warrants closed at 435925 tonnes and 105950...
Hydro Wicona will supply zero-carbon aluminium to a construction project in Europe. Titled the Innovationsbogen project in Augsburg, Wicona will provide doors, window, and curtain walling profiles made from recycled post-consumer aluminium. By the fourth quarter of this year, construction on the Augsburg building project is expected to be finished. Wicona will provide the project with 85 tonnes of Hydro CIRCAL 100R. Compared to pre-consumer/process scrap and raw aluminium, the utilisation of post-consumer scrap greatly lowers the CO2 footprint. Aluminium with a carbon footprint of less than 0.5 kg CO2e/kg over the whole value chain is called near-zero aluminium. “Covering such a high profile building in Europe with a near-zero aluminium façade is a milestone achievement for Hydro. We are...
BMW North America has decided to regulate more than 100 aluminium structural components for its patented cars “due to complexity of the repair and the requirement of highly specialised tools, training, and repair procedures,” as was cited in a bulletin published by the company on March 16. For manufacturing these parts, a mechanic must undergo vigorous training, take body and paint classes and own attested tools like a specific frame bench, glue cartridge gun, belt sander, riveting tool, oscillating tool, saw blade and welder. The bulletin clearly stated: “BMW of North America will be restricting certain aluminium structural parts to ensure the correct repair process is followed and crash performance is not compromised.” The OEM circulated an email confirming the addition of more...
South Korean battery material maker Posco Future M has started constructing a domestic nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) cathode facility with a 30,000 tonnes per year production capacity in Yeongil Bay. In the past, the company known as Posco Chemicals has plotted to invest 392 billion or US$299 million for this project. The new facility in the Yeongil Bay 4th general industrial complex in North Gyeongsang province's Pohang city will begin getting its shape in the first half of 2023, with productions to take off by 2025. The new nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) cathode facility will promptly hold a running capacity of 30,000 tonnes annually that can smoothly optimise almost 300,000 60kWh electric vehicles (EVs). In April 2022, Posco Future began materialising a separate 30,000 tonnes per year...
When western countries turned back on Russian aluminium, China nearly doubled its imports from Russia. According to the data recently released by China customs, the country's imports of refined aluminium from Russia surged 94 per cent year-on-year to about 538,600 tonnes from March 2022 to February 2023, a record annual volume on a moving-average basis. Customs data also showed China's aluminium imports from Russia recorded more than three-fold growth in January and February 2023, surging 266.2 per cent. Compared to 28,759 tonnes in the first two months of 2022, China's aluminium imports from Russia amounted to 105,300 tonnes during the same period of this year. The total value of the two-month imports was $248.39 million, or an average price of $2,359 a tonne. Russian aluminium inflows...
The City of York Council, in collaboration with Alupro, had organised a Christmas competition for York's primary school students to celebrate recent changes which allowed the council to collect aluminium foil from households in their kerbside collections. Primary school students in York were tasked with creating A4 posters with Christmas-themed artwork using old and cleaned aluminium foil and whatever other materials they might find. More than 100 kids participated in the competition by submitting unique foil posters with a Christmas theme. Esme from Osbaldwick Primary Academy took first prize, followed by Bluebelle from Poppleton Ousebank Primary School in second and Taylor from Stockton-on-the Forest Primary School in third. The executive member for climate change, Councillor Paula...
One of the most popular computer makers in the world, Acer, has launched its latest electric bike loaded with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that sports a lightweight aluminium alloy framework. The Acer ebii is a sophisticated sports vehicle that utilises modern shenanigans and promotes "stable and nimble riding". The use of aluminium in the construction has heavily reduced the bike's weight to 16 kg only so that people with urban lifestyles purchase it. According to a user's specification, the single motor emits almost 250W to 350W and can be installed at the bike's rear or front hub. The motor produces a torque of 40Nm and, under all circumstances, provides an electric assist of over 15.5mph. Since Acer has a stronghold in the computer industry it can be easily understood that...
Tianshan Aluminium Group, China’s second-largest aluminium producer by capacity, will reportedly invest US$1.6 billion to build an alumina refinery in the Riau Islands, Indonesia. Since Indonesia is rich in bauxite and coal and has low labour costs, building a plant here can improve Tianshan’s supply of raw materials. The plant will have an annual capacity of 2 million tonnes. But initially, it will produce 1 million tonnes of aluminium oxide a year, requiring an investment of US$952 million. However, the construction schedule is not yet revealed. Tianshan Aluminium Group produces primary aluminium, alumina, high-purity aluminium, pre-baked anodes, aluminium deep-processed products, and other materials. The company has been raising its annual aluminium oxide capacity in recent years. In...
Surefire Resources has hired materials science firm Lava Blue to investigate the value-added potential of high-purity aluminium oxide production from its flagship Victory Bore vanadium project in Western Australia. Victory Bore has waste rock surrounding the primary resource with significantly higher levels of aluminium oxide, with grades as high as 31.4 per cent. This will ensure Surefire is an exceptional feedstock for manufacturing high-purity alumina (HPA), targeting 4N-HPA (or more than 99.99% pure). Aluminium oxide samples will be used by Lava Blue for testing in the lab to show a manufacturing route. For the upcoming vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) market, Surefire is investigating the manufacturing of aluminium oxide in addition to high-purity vanadium. HPA products may sell...
Sri Lanka-based manufacturer of state-of-the-art architectural aluminium joinery systems, glazing and façade products, Hayleys Unisyst, has successfully completed a fascinating construction, the 447 Luna Tower, a high-end apartment compound located at Colombo’s core. Hayleys Unisyst, one of the leading providers of aluminium extruded solutions in the vicinity, was appointed as a sub-contractor in the 447 Luna Tower Project and was ordered to supply all the required custom-made aluminium solutions the high-rise demanded. The materialisation of this humungous apartment complex has crowned Unisyst as one of the most efficient service providers in the region. This apartment complex is the first skyscraper in Sri Lanka to incorporate the largest continuous unitised aluminium curtain wall, an...
