The US aluminum trihydrate market strengthened in September 2026 as downstream procurement, rising overseas production costs, and shipping bottlenecks supported prices. In contrast, Bosnia’s market faced a quarterly correction as European buyers drew on accumulated inventories and lower caustic soda costs eased manufacturing pressures, highlighting diverging regional price trends. US aluminum trihydrate market gains on demand and supply constraints US aluminum trihydrate prices increased 2.38% month over month in September, supported by purchases from wire and cable manufacturers, electrical infrastructure compounders, and electric vehicle (EV) component producers. Demand remained particularly resilient for applications involving low-smoke cable compounds and flame-retardant materials....
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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According to an independent news source, Hill End Gold Limited of Australia is close to releasing a maiden estimate of resource for its high-purity alumina project at Yendon, in the Central Highlands of Victoria. The ASX-listed mineral exploration company is 100 per cent stakeholder of the Pure Alumina Pty Ltd High Purity Alumina (HPA) Project on tenements at nearby Lal and Pittong. The site is known for its rich kaolin deposits. High purity alumina demand is growing exponentially all over the world. The high-value material fetches $US25-$US40 per kg depending on the purity level and the specific area of application. The specialized mineral is used in lithium-ion batteries, LED lighting solutions, and scratch-resistant sapphire glasses of smartphone screen and lenses. With increasing...
As per Reuters’ reporting, Chinese Jiuquan Iron and Steel Group Co (Jisco) has confirmed the arrival of its first alumina cargo, from Alpart alumina refinery, at Lianyungang Port, China. The shipment from the recently reopened St. Elizabeth plant left Port Kaiser in Jamaica on December 29 last year and reached the east China port on February 5. The alumina cargo weighed 34,200 tonnes, and it made a 30-day plus voyage from the Caribbean to reach its destination port. The arrival of the alumina shipment coincides with the lifting of winter restrictions by the Chinese government on aluminium smelters, which will be now resuming operations from mid-March onward. JISCO Alpart Jamaica , which was closed for last eight years, was purchased from UC Rusal by the Chinese-owned Jiuquan Iron and...
An optimistic forecast of import based on global trade data suggests that Middle East will import 1.4 per cent more alumina in 2018 than last year. The key Middle East countries which have been taken into consideration are- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Egypt and Iran. These are the countries having primary aluminium smelting operations. Barring Iran and Saudi Arabia no other country has its own alumina refining unit. UAE and Qatar top the list of alumina importing countries in the Gulf region. But while Qatar’s alumina import is estimated to rise form 1.14 million tonne in 2017 to 1.35 million tonne in 2018, UAE’s alumina import is estimated to drop from 1.11 million tonne to 836203.6 tonnes this year. However, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest...
Alumina sector makes an important contribution to GDP in Jamaica. Jamaica’s alumina exports accounts for 38.3% of the total exports of the country. It is estimated that country’s exports of alumina will remain unchanged to last year. China, one of the leading importers of Jamaican alumina, imported 68,984 tonnes of alumina in 2017, an increase of 60 per cent year on year. According to recent estimates, Jamaica earned US$278 million from exporting 1.07 million tonnes of alumina in 2016. The country exported 1.07 million tonnes of alumina in 2017. Total alumina export was valued at US$2.3 billion. Jamaica is estimated to ship 1.01 million tonnes of alumina in 2018. The Caribbean country is estimated to export alumina worth US$2.4 billion. Jamaica's largest alumina refinery, Alumina Partners...
Hindalco Industries’ alumina production reached 734 thousand tonnes in quarter ended December 31, 2017. Alumina production stood at 2, 170 thousand tonnes in 9M-FY2018. Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL) produced 376 thousand tonnes of alumina in Q3 FY2018.The company said its UAIL continues to be amongst the lowest cost producers globally. For Q3 FY2018, Utkal Alumina EBITDA increased 73 per cent YoY to INR 247 crore on the back of higher international alumina prices. The company reported net profit of INR 118 crore in Q3 FY2018, from INR 55 crore in Q3 FY2017. Last month, Utkal Alumina applied for environment clearance for its expansion of the alumina refinery. With the proposed expansion, alumina production capacity will increase from 1.5 million tonnes per annum to 3 million...
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, announces operating results for the fourth quarter of 2017 and for the 12 months ended 31 December 2017 with improved performance in all segments of the value chain. In Q4 2017, total alumina production increased by 1.3% QoQ, totalling 1,990 thousand tonnes. Russian alumina operations accounted for 36% of the total output. The performance of the Company’s alumina assets was equivalent to the pre-derived production plan. Alumina production results For the twelve months of 2017 alumina production increased 3.3% YoY to 7,773 thousand tonnes. The YoY and QoQ increase in alumina production was primarily driven by continued capacity ramp up at Russian and Ukrainian alumina refineries. Urals Alumina Refinery and Nikolaev refinery posted about the...
Altech Chemicals Ltd has formalised a total debt package of US$190 million for its proposed Malaysian high purity alumina (HPA) project. HPA is a high-value, high margin product used in the manufacture of products such as substrates for LED lights and a range of other high growth industries. The financing consists of a US$170 million debt package negotiated with the German export credit agency (ECA), with the balance of US$20 million at normal commercial terms. The ECA covered loan (US$170 million) is for an extended period with highly attractive terms, providing Altech with ample time to build the plant and bring it into production. Increased clarity surrounding funding has generated interest in the HPA project. Remaining funding covers two-year construction period The balance of US$20...
Currently, spot alumina price in China is struggling to stay afloat in the face of slow demand and prices are staying flat for more than a week. SMM forecasts alumina prices are likely to rally ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February before downward pressure returns. Today’s average alumina price stands at RMB 2894 per tonne, slightly down from last closing. The average price of Chinese domestic alumina in four major regions stood at RMB 2,855 per tonne. Chalco Alumina and imported alumina prices remain unchanged today. Spot alumina prices have continued falling after touching the highest in November beginning. The price trend in last three months can be seen in the following graph: The drop in alumina price was mainly led by a slump in aluminium ingot price and sellers’...
Emirates Global Aluminium announced a partnership with VITO, the European research and technology organisation, to assess use of bauxite residue, a by-product of alumina refining, in construction materials. Abdalla Alzarooni, EGA’s Vice President of Technology Development & Transfer said: “Using bauxite residue as the raw material for construction products is one potential solution we are investigating for bauxite residue. Finding viable uses for this by-product is a challenge for our industry globally, but we aim to reduce and even eliminate the need to store new bauxite residue in the longer term.” VITO will work with experts at the University of Leuven in Belgium to assess the technical and commercial potential of using bauxite residue in the UAE in the manufacture of materials such as...
According to the latest import-export data published by China General Customs, China’s imports of alumina decreased 60.84 per cent YoY to 143,284 tonnes in December 2017. The country imported 2.86 million tonnes of alumina in 2017, down 5.31 per cent YoY. Image source: SMM China’s alumina imports from Indonesia were down 1.36 per cent YoY in December. China imported 50, 224 tonnes of alumina from Indonesia last month. China exported 4,654 tonnes of alumina in December, up 102.06 per cent YoY. For the full year, exports were down at 55, 737 tonnes. Image source: SMM China exported the largest amount of alumina to South Korea and the US. In December, South Korea and the US imported 2,043 tonnes and 632 tonnes of alumina respectively.
Utkal Alumina International Limited, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group owned Hindalco Industries, has applied for environment clearance for its expansion of the alumina refinery in Odisha. The estimated cost of the proposed expansion project is INR 4000-5000 crore. With the proposed expansion, the company’s alumina production capacity will increase from 1.5 million tonnes per annum to 3 million tonnes per annum. The expert appraisal committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change would take up company’s expansion application at its next meeting on February 5. The company's captive Baphlimali bauxite mines supplies reserves to the alumina refinery. The ample amount of reserves can fed the refinery for 25 years once the production starts. Utkal Alumina refinery produced...
SMM forecasts alumina prices are likely to rally ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February before downward pressure returns. Currently, spot alumina price in China is struggling to stay afloat in the face of slow demand. Today’s average alumina price stands at RMB 2862 per tonne, slightly down from last closing. The average price of Chinese domestic alumina in four major regions stood at RMB 2,850 per tonne. A drop in the price in South China market has driven the average price drop. Chalco Alumina and imported alumina prices remain unchanged today. The price trend in last one month can be seen in the following graph: According to an SMM update, roasting operations have resumed at alumina plants in Henan, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia provinces. The refineries were affected by...
RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer is mastering a new product at its Achinsk Alumina Refinery – fine precipitated aluminium hydroxide (FPAH). Company's proprietary technology allows keeping the production cost of the FPAH below the world’s average price for this product. The total amount of investment in construction of the pilot plant will amount to RUB 250 mln. Fine precipitated aluminium hydroxide is a powder with particles of less than 3 μm, which is a hundred times thinner than a human hair. Its physical and chemical properties make this material an excellent fire retardant. Therefore, aluminium hydroxide is widely used in the production of silicate wool for cables for the nuclear, ship building, aviation, and automotive industries. It is also used in the production of paints...
France imports alumina to feed the domestic aluminium industry. Import of alumina has been shrinking for the last three years. France’s alumina import is estimated to drop this year. The Ireland is the top supplier of alumina to the country. France imported an estimated 664219 tonnes of alumina from Ireland in 2017. Other exporting countries are Jamaica, Germany, Greece and Spain. As per international data, France imported about 795383 tonnes of alumina in 2016. The country’s imports of alumina decreased to 790494 tonnes in 2017. France is estimated to import 597980 tonnes in 2018. The figure shows that the country is witnessing a fall in import of alumina. The cost of alumina import stood at USD 224 million and USD 315 million in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The cost of import for alumina...
Rio Tinto’s alumina production for the fourth quarter of 2017 was one per cent lower than the fourth quarter of 2016. The total alumina production stood at 2 million tonnes in Q4 2017. For 2017, Rio Tinto’s alumina production reduced to 8.1 million tonnes. “Alumina production for 2017 was in line with 2016, with a strong performance at Yarwun partially offset by lower production at the Queensland Alumina refinery due to major maintenance,” according to company’s press release. Rio Tinto’s share of production in 2018 is unchanged at 8.0 to 8.2 million tonnes of alumina. “The business performed well in the fourth quarter, and we finished the year in line with guidance across all major products,” Rio Tinto chief executive J-S Jacques said.
Spot alumina price in China is struggling to stay afloat in the face of slow demand. Today’s average alumina price stands at RMB 2875 per tonne and expected to move within a range of RMB 2875 – 2875 per tonne today. SMM forecasts alumina prices are likely to rally ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February to just below RMB 3,000 per tonne before downward pressure returns. The average price of Chinese domestic alumina in four major regions stood at RMB 2,850 per tonne earlier this month, down 23.6% from RMB 3,730 tonne in November, according to SMM data. Chalco Alumina and imported alumina prices remain unchanged today. The price trend in the domestic markets can be seen in the following table: Shandong Weiqiao has started to execute its long-term contracts since the beginning...
Spot alumina prices in China are showing restraint as reports from SMM shows a drop in alumina production month on month, as December output drops from that in November. As reported by SMM, average spot alumina price in China increased slightly to stand at RMB 2866/t today. Alumina prices have not seen much momentum in the month of December till date. It started the month with RMB 2855 per tonne and hovering within a range of RMB 2850-2870 per tonne. Chalco and imported alumina prices also remain unchanged at RMB 3320 and RMB 3450 per tonne respectively. Average domestic price stands at RMB 2850/t today. SMM forecast China’s alumina output to grow in January due to the closure of Henan’s special green policy and the newly-increased capacity of Liulin Senze and Huaqing Aluminium. We can...
Altech Chemicals Limited has submitted a manufacturing licence application to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) for 4,500 tonnes high purity alumina (HPA) plant in Malaysia. The high purity alumina project represents an investment of approximately 1.2 billion ringgit. The plant will produce HPA directly from kaolin clay, which will be sourced from the Company’s 100%-owned kaolin deposit at Meckering, Western Australia. “Application has also been made to MIDA for the HPA project to be afforded “Pioneer Status” (High Technology) investment incentive classification. A project approved as Pioneer Status (High Technology) will benefit from income tax exemption of 100% of its statutory income for a period of 5 years from the commencement of commercial production, according...
