Alumina Output Will Break Through 43,000 Thousand Tons

According to the data from Antaike that the alumina output will break through 43,000 thousand tons this year and it will need about 6,000 thousand tons of caustic soda.

At the end of 2012 China alumina capacity will reaches 59,020 thousand tons increased 14.8% compared with 2011, newly added capacity will finished in the second half year or the end of the year 2012, but part of alumina capacity was likely to put off implementation scheduling. There are around 7,600 thousand tons of alumina capacity will increased in 2012, 4700, 1000, 600, 400, 400, 300 and 200 thousand tons for Shanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Chongqing and Shandong respectively.

With the rapid development of alumina industry the demand of caustic soda increased as well. After enter into 21 century most of the new and extended alumina projects were adopted bayer's process, used caustic soda to production that gave rise to the run up of caustic soda demand.

It is predicted that alumina output will break through 43,000 thousand tons in 2012. If according to current capacity and estimated output that may consume 5,530 thousand tons of caustic soda; newly added alumina capacity need another 470 thousand tons of caustic soda. Thus, domestic alumina production need about 6,000 thousand tons of caustic soda.

From the short term of view, domestic alumina industry possesses surplus production capacity, after co-ordination of supply and demand will exist surplus output or limit price rise in alumina market. But if Indonesia ease its bauxite export policy will largely change domestic alumina output and price. So, from the long term of view bauxite supply will be the bottleneck that limited the development of China aluminum industry.