Bell Bay Aluminium (BBA), Australia's oldest aluminium smelter, is reviewing its workforce and offering redundancies for a small number of positions, just over a month after receiving an AUD 200 million (USD 137.52 million) government support package aimed at securing the facility's future until at least 2031. Up to 10 roles are understood to have been affected by the review, although the smelter is expected to retain its existing workforce of approximately 550 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. Some redeployment opportunities will also be available, while the positions identified are not understood to involve frontline services. The changes reportedly include some former participants in Bell Bay Aluminium's graduate programme. Rio Tinto, which operates the smelter near George Town in...
Atlas Metals Group plc has terminated its proposed acquisition of Universal Pozzolanic Silica Alumina Ltd (UPSA), ending a transaction first announced in June 2025, as the company shifts its acquisition focus towards lithium and graphite assets in Africa and South America. The natural resources and energy company said the decision followed recent due diligence difficulties and actions by UPSA representatives that it believes materially changed the merits and viability of the transaction. Atlas Metals is also seeking to recover material amounts owed to it by UPSA. The proposed acquisition was initially announced on June 17, 2025, with the signing of a conditional share purchase agreement (SPA) disclosed on September 10, 2025. However, the company has now decided to terminate the agreement,...
Grow with
AL Circle
Bauxite Residue Management Best Practice, previously published in 2015, in its latest script released by the International Aluminium Institute, has specified updated guidelines for the sustainable transformation of bauxite residue. This document illustrates the lifecycle of bauxite residue or red mud through definitive case studies showing how stakeholders could be prioritized in its sustainable management. Bauxite ore, the element required to extract alumina is in abundance on the surface of Earth and is estimated to be a collection of 30 billion tonnes with resources accounting for between 55 to 75 billion tonnes. Bauxite residue commonly known as red mud is produced while extracting alumina through the Bayer Process, which has been the adapted mechanism since the 1800s. Global...
To keep up with the growing demand for sustainable products in North America, Granges will invest US$ 52 million to expand its recycling and casting operations in Huntingdon, Tennessee. This investment is crucial for the launch of near-zero carbon aluminium solutions in 2024; also the new cluster will be powered by renewable energy as a part of the Tennessee Valley Authority Green Invest project (TVA). Gränges is an aluminium technology company that encourages the development of lighter, smarter and more sustainable aluminium products and solutions. It also serves the consumers with advanced materials facilitating the manufacturing process and the performance of the final products. For more than 25 years, Gränges’ innovative engineering has upheld the face of Sweden by holding main...
Hem, a Stockholm-based independent design firm recognised for producing sustainable furniture, accessories, and lighting, will debut its aluminium shelf system based on extruded aluminium profiles and Hydro EcoDesign's sustainability principles. The shelf is composed of Hydro RESTORE, which is recycled aluminium created from both pre- and post-consumer scrap. Waste from the production process that is melted, cast, and then looped back into the extrusion process is known as pre-consumer scrap. The unique system for Hem was conceived by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of the Italian design firm Formafantasma. The customizable shelf system will help retailers, as well as residential and corporate environments. Aside from its distinct appearance, its key selling points are: Easy assembly...
Deriving from the DISPAL ® family of high-performance aluminium, the S220 AM is Sweden’s first aluminium alloy for Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) addictive manufacturing as being introduced by Gränges Powder Metallurgy headquartered in Stockholm. This alloy is quite similar to steel but one third its weight which makes it quite preferable for aerospace and automotive industries. The material is supposed to possess good wear and friction properties because the silicon in it is evenly distributed in the matrix structure. S220 AM alloy is also bragged to be of low density and less coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Linear technology and robotics might yield a large amount of temperature and the precision work can impose a high load on the material therefore a low CTE is extremely...
Hindalco Industries Limited again slashed its aluminium products and aluminium ingot prices, with effect from Tuesday, April 12, following a hike on April 9. As per the revised prices published by Hindalco, the company’s aluminium wire rod price is standing at INR 292,350 per tonne after being chopped by INR 12,500 per tonne or 4.1 per cent from INR 304,850 per tonne on April 9. Aluminium billets price also witnessed a cut of INR 12,500 on April 12 to stand at INR 295,350 per tonne. On April 9, the billets price was at INR 307,850 per tonne, up by INR 4,000 per tonne from the previous day. Hindalco is now selling its aluminium ingot price at INR 281,250 per tonne, down by 4.44 per cent from INR 293,750 per tonne on April 9. Hindalco links its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices...
Aluminium household products are gradually replacing plastic and steel components in our daily life, as aluminium is stronger than plastic and lighter than steel. Aluminium also allows heat to disperse quickly, turning utensils and products into cooler faster. The other reasons behind the usage of aluminium in household articles are its superior properties when it comes to design, sustainability and corrosion resistance. In February 2022, the European Commission in its winter economic forecast report released that the economy of Greece is expected to expand by 4.9% in 2022 and 3.5% in 2023. The South-eastern European nation, Greece imported 12,414 tonnes of aluminium household articles during 2019-21, attracting revenue expenditure of around $51.97 million for the import. Greece's import...
The global green energy provider, Fortescue Future Industries claimed there won’t be a scarcity of electricity anymore since green hydrogen power generation in Southland will increase and ultimately the need to raise household bills won’t appear. FFI leads their customers by developing a portfolio of renewable energy and green hydrogen projects. There is a worldwide urge to move towards both renewable and sustainable resources after the Paris concord was drawn in 2015 which specifically aimed at climate change. There is a running belief now that Tiwai Point aluminium smelter (NZAS) may not stop operating in 2024, though after all the means adopted by the agency it will still need vast amounts of power from the Manapouri Hydro station. Tiwai Point is the only aluminium smelter in New...
In March 2022 (31 calendar days), China produced 6.548 million tonnes of alumina, including 6.342 million tonnes of metallurgical-grade alumina. That was a hike of 15.94 per cent from 5.47 million tonnes of metallurgical-grade alumina output in February. China’s daily average output of metallurgical-grade alumina in March 2022 was 204,600 tonnes, an increase of 20.42 per cent month-on-month and 4.44 per cent year-on-year. The month-on-month increase in China’s alumina production in March was primarily contributed by Henan adding 78 per cent to the total output, followed by19 per cent from Shanxi, and 11 per cent from Shandong, showed the SMM data. SMM further explained that the growth in Shanxi’s alumina output was caused by the production resumption in March after the output curb in the...
On Monday, April 11, Alupro, the aluminium packaging and recycling organisation welcomed Scanmetals as its new member. Based in the United Kingdon, with operations in Scandinavia Scanmetals is a metal recycling company specializing in recovering non-ferrous metals from incinerator bottom ash created by Energy-from-Waste (EfW) plants. “We’re delighted to announce Scanmetals as the first IBA recovery specialist to join Alupro. It demonstrates the company’s commitment to engaging with new audiences, as well as communicating the important role of IBA in the circular economy of tomorrow to consumers. We look forward to exploring the ways in which we can work together and make a real difference to the aluminium packaging recycling industry,” said Tom Giddings, Executive Director of Alupro. The...
LME aluminium opened at US$3,250 per tonne on Tuesday and closed at $3,274 per tonne, an increase of $22.5 per tonne or 0.69 percent. On Tuesday, April 12, LME aluminium cash bid price closed at US$3,214 per tonne and LME aluminium official settlement price halted at US$3,214.50 per tonne. The former witnessed a slump of US$19.5 per tonne or 0.60 percent and the latter dropped by US$20 per tonne or 0.61 percent. 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price also slipped by 0.15 percent or US$5 per tonne and 0.18 percent or US$6 per tonne to record at US$3,244 per tonne and US$3,245 per tonne. On the other, December 23 bid price hiked by US$15 per tonne or 0.48 percent to score at US$3,125 per tonne. For the same day, December 23 offer price also surged by US$15 per tonne or 0.16 percent to...
The first aluminium smelter in the Middle East region, Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), recorded 1.561 million tonnes of aluminium production in 2021 has selected EtaPRO LLC to enhance the thermal performance of its power stations. EtaPRO LLC is a company with 3 decades of experience in developing technologies and deploying solutions to deliver customized asset optimization strategies. The leading asset condition and performance monitoring system provider EtaPRO© will provide a plant performance digital dashboard and measure plant degradation by using digital Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance Alba’s asset reliability. Alba’s Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali commented while speaking on the occasion, “We believe that Digital Transformation is a discipline rather...
National Aluminium Company Limited has further slashed its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices since its last cut on April 1, 2022. With effect from Tuesday, April 12, NALCO has chopped its aluminium ingot price by INR 15,700 per tonne or 5.30 per cent to INR 280,550- 284,050 per tonne as against INR 296,250- 299,750 on April 1. NALCO has also reduced its aluminium wire rod price by INR 15,700 per tonne, with effect from April 12, from INR 298,750- 303,100 per tonne to INR 283,050- 287,400 per tonne. Aluminium billets price has experienced no exception but a cut of INR 15,700 per tonne as well from INR 299,700- 301,200 per tonne to INR 284,000- 286,650 per tonne. NALCO links its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices to the three-month future price of aluminium on the...
The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has certified each of Hydro's three extrusion operations in Brazil, based on ASI's Performance Standard. The ASI-certified extrusion factories in Brazil are Itu (SP), Tubaro (SC), and Utinga (SP). The factories employ roughly 900 workers in total. ASI assesses many factors to determine whether or not supply chains are increasingly incorporating sustainability and human rights principles. “This achievement was only possible due a lot of collaboration among our departments and outstanding dedication of many people across the organization. Considering that our plant in Argentina also was just certified, now all our plants in South America have earned the distinction of Performance Standard Certification,” says Sergio L. Vendrasco, vice president...
According to the Shanghai Metals Market, A00 aluminium ingot price in China has hiked by RMB 210 per tonne to stand above RMB 21,000 per tonne on Wednesday, April 13. SMM data has found that the price has come in at RMB 21,060 per tonne, with average prices likely to range between RMB 21,040 per tonne and RMB 21,080 per tonne. The spot contract is likely to be traded at a premium price of RMB 60-20 per tonne. In Foshan and Chongqing, A00 aluminium ingot price has surged by RMB 230 per tonne and RMB 225 per tonne, respectively, to RMB 21,734 per tonne and RMB 21,110 per tonne, while the price in Gongyi, Hangzhou, and Shenyang has increased by RMB 210 per tonne to stand at RMB 21,050 per tonne, RMB 21,130 per tonne, and RMB 21,110 per tonne. In Wuxi, Linyi, and Tianjin, primary aluminium...
Alcoa is an American industrial corporation and is one of the largest producers of bauxite, alumina, and aluminium products, with a goal of reinventing the aluminium sector for a more sustainable future. On Monday, April 11, Alcoa announced that the Australian governments have contributed $7.7 million to perform experimental trials on a novel carbon reduction technology that will assist Alcoa's Refinery of the Future project. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has given Alcoa of Australia $6.4 million (A$8.6 million) and Western Australia's Clean Energy Future Fund $1.3 million (A$1.7 million) to test electric calcination (CEFF). “We are the lowest carbon intensity alumina producer in the world, and we have a technology roadmap of future-oriented research and development...
The Australian primary aluminium producer, Tomago Aluminium has deployed on work a robot dog named ‘Spot’ with more advanced technology. The introduction of Spot in Tomago makes it Australia’s first aluminium smelter to trial the new AI technology, with impromptu demonstrations to showcase its unbelievable capabilities. The price of Spot comes around with a cost of US$200,000 each and weighs a little over 32 kilograms. This is one of the newest developments in the field of robotics which has unimaginable agility and can navigate all types of landscapes with extraordinary mobility, carrying out day to day inspections in the most inaccessible places. Michelle Whyte, the Business Improvement Superintendent, “Using Spot, previously hazardous tasks requiring specially-trained people in...
Six Southern California companies linked to Chinese billionaire Liu Zhongtian were fined $1.83 billion on Monday, April 11. They were fined for conspiring to defraud the US through a scheme in which massive amounts of aluminium were disguised as "pallets" to avoid paying $1.8 billion in customs duties exported to the US. They were further "sold" to fraudulently inflate a China-based company's revenues and deceive investors around the world. Perfectus Aluminum Inc. and one of its subsidiaries, as well as four southern California-based warehouses where the aluminium was stored all controlled by Liu were sentenced to pay the fine by US District Judge R Gary Klausner. The firms were also sentenced to five years of probation by the judge. According to the statement, China Zhongwang Holdings...
The world leader in the production of low-carbon aluminium, Rusal has opposed arrangements that permit Rio Tinto to take sole control of the joint venture refinery, the Queensland Alumina Ltd (QAL). The global metal and mining giant’s shift functionally slits Rusal’s ingress to production and management at the alumina refinery under a ban implemented by the Australian Govt. against exporting alumina and bauxite to Russia. The Government of Australia imposed the ban in March 2022 as part of its sanctions drive against Russia over its standoff with Ukraine. A spokesperson from Rusal stated concerning operations of the Queensland Alumina refinery (QAL) and Australian autonomous sanctions said, “Rusal disagrees that the operations of its subsidiary, Alumina & Bauxite Company Ltd (ABC), do not...
