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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Showa Denko K.K. and PT ANTAM of Indonesia, held a ceremony for the commencement of commissioning phase of a new chemical alumina plant in the Tayan District. West Kalimantan, Indonesia, on October 28 as a milestone of the construction project that started in April 2011. After going through the commissioning phase and prospective clients' assessment of product quality, the new plant with production capacity of 300,000 t/y will start mass production and sales of chemical alumina in the second half of 2014. The term "chemical alumina" refers collectively to aluminum hydroxide and alumina for applications other than aluminum smelting. Chemical alumina is used for various industrial applications including chemicals for water treatment, refractories, abrasives, building materials, IC...
Metal Bulletin’s fob Australia alumina index settled at $320.92 per tonne on Friday October 25, from $321.22 previously, as spot activity ramped up with deals mainly into China. The majority of volume went at $322 per tonne, with one producer selling two large shipments into China at that level. “There has been a lot of demand from China, both for spot and 2014 business,” a producer said. Some distressed cargoes were also sold in the Middle East, after the Ma’aden smelter in Saudi Arabia halted production on one of two potlines on October 16. Material that had been earmarked for the Alcoa-Saudi joint venture has had to find a new buyer in the Middle East. Sale into another region was not feasible due to unbreakable freight contracts. “The only other option would have been to declare force...
The acting Chief Executive of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), Mr Dan Achampong, has challenged the government to make VALCO process the country’s bauxite into alumina, to reduce the cost of aluminium. He said this will help create over two million jobs and also make the aluminium industry a lucrative and profitable business. Mr Achampong made the call at the inauguration of a housing project for workers of VALCO under the VALCO Employees Housing Cooperative Society (VEHOCS ) at Afienya. He indicated that the export of the country’s bauxite was a disservice to the local aluminium industry, adding that VALCO presently imported alumina, though it could be processed locally. Mr Achampong pointed out that VALCO was established to form the basis of an integrated aluminium industry in Ghana...
Bankrupt US aluminum producer Ormet is in "advanced discussions" about selling its 540,000 mt/year alumina refinery in Burnside, Louisiana, which is currently idled, and a deal is expected soon, CEO Michael Tanchuk told Platts Thursday. Citing a confidentiality agreement, Tanchuk said in an interview he could not identify the refinery's prospective purchaser yet. Asked to comment on talk the would-be buyer is a chemical company, he said: "It's a possibility." A final sale decision should come "fairly soon," he said, probably in a matter of days or a week or two. Tanchuk confirmed the refinery is expected to resume producing alumina once the sale closes. "If we can complete the sale, it's a good step for the community, the plant and the people" in the Burnside area, he said. Ormet no...
Aluminum producer PT Indonesian Asahan Aluminum (Inalum), which the government plans to take over from its Japanese shareholders, is expected to be the main buyer of alumina to be produced by local smelters, an official says. The director for minerals at the Directorate General for Minerals and Coal at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Dede Ida Suhendra, said smelters to be built by state-owned Jakarta listed PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) and privately listed firm PT Cita Mineral Investindo, would supply material to Inalum. “Until the smelters are finished, Inalum will be allowed to import the material needed,” Dede said on Thursday. At present, Inalum imports all the raw material it needs for the production of aluminum ingots. Antam and Cita are building smelters to process bauxite...
Orbite Aluminae Inc. today reported on the present status, development plan and updated budget for completing its high-purity alumina (HPA) production plant in Cap-Chat, Quebec. Orbite's High Purity Alumina plant in Cap-Chat, Quebec, continued intermittent production at a capacity of less than 50 kg per day into the month of August. Operations were suspended in August and September to allow the Corporation to complete, on a permanent basis, the installation of the plant utility systems, notably the steam, process air, and waste water treatment systems. Intermittent operations resumed in October to allow the production of commercial (4N) samples for shipment to prospective customers and the advancement of our product qualification program. The Corporation is preparing for the finalization...
An 800,000-tpy alumina plant at Yunnan Aluminium Co.’s subsidiary company achieved full production. The plant at Yunnan Wenshan Aluminium Co. produced 190,000 tonnes of alumina in the third quarter, the parent company told Shenzhen Stock Exchange today. Yunnan Wenshan commenced construction of the alumina plant in June 2008 and started production in July 2012, it said.
The USD 67 million alumina segment result for Alcoa, a proxy for Alumina Ltd, or AWC’s, profit, improved marginally on the second quarter’s USD 64 million profit, and was meaningfully better than the previous corresponding period’s loss. Compared with second-quarter 2013, the Australian dollar fell 8% to USD 0.92. That compares with an approximate 2% decline in realised alumina price. Around half AWC’s alumina is Australian sourced. No change to our AUD 2.60 per share AWC fair value estimate or our 2013 and 2014 earnings forecasts of AUD 0.034 per share and AUD 0.077 per share respectively. While improvement appears in train, the earnings impact is for now tempered by ongoing aluminium/alumina price weakness. A solid platform is in place though, for when prices eventually turn around, as...
Mining conglomerate Vedanta Group has approached Prime Minister's Project Monitoring Group, which was established to fast track stalled large investment projects, seeking environment clearance for expansion of its Lanjigarh alumina refinery in Odisha to 6 million tonnes. The Project Monitoring Group (PMG), which has resolved issues in over 90 such stalled projects entailing investments of over Rs 3.76 lakh crore, is expected to take up the Vedanta project soon, sources said. The Lanjigarh alumina refinery and its proposed long-term bauxite source -- mining in the Niyamgiri hills -- have been in the midst of controversies even since the beginning as the local tribals are opposed to the projects. The Lanjigarh alumina refinery is operated by Vedanta's Group firm Vedanta Aluminium. Earlier,...
Orbite Aluminae Inc. updates the market on its ongoing financing initiatives. Orbite confirms its Short Form Prospectus dated July 15, 2013 has since expired and was not renewed or extended by the Corporation. Orbite management reconfirms that it is actively focused on completing an offering within the coming weeks. The financing initiative has progressed positively since the last update of September 16, 2013. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities. The securities referred to in this press release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or...
Nalco Australia has released its new FoamGuard antifoam technology, which it says provides improvements in operating and cost efficiencies, as well as benefits for plant and operator safety. Available for either hot-end or cold-end applications, and developed to prevent the formation and stabilisation of foam in the critical parts of the Bayer process circuit, the new antifoam technology complements the company’s proven trihydrate flocculant technology and is designed to avert the problem of foam before it occurs. Extensive laboratory testing has indicated no detrimental side-effects on the Bayer process with the use of this compound, Nalco says. “Evidence has shown that the application of antifoam assists trihydrate classification efficiency through reduced foam presence. Additionally,...
State-run National Aluminium Co's alumina exports in the first half of the current fiscal vaulted 50 per cent from a year ago, mainly on account of the capacity expansion undertaken by the company. In the six months to September, Nalco exported 638,000 tonnes of alumina compared with 425,000 tonnes in the same period of fiscal 2012-13, the company said recently. The jump was largely because the blue chip company has expanded production capacity. "We have exported nearly 50 per cent more alumina during the first half of this year. It has led to good realisations," Nalco chairman and managing director Ansuman Das said. "Our production has increased by nearly 11 per cent and it has been driving up exports of alumina." Late last month, the alumina major decided against selling surplus alumina...
Alumina exports fell 6.6% year-on-year in September as a result of a reduction in volumes sent to Europe and the Middle East. Exports totalled 653,880 tonnes, compared with 700,577 tonnes in September 2012. Revenues for the month stood at $153.50 million, down from $170.26 million a year ago. Norway reduced its volumes to 136,078 tonnes, compared with 158,729 tonnes a year earlier. Qatar acquired 99,098 tonnes reporting a slight decrease from 102,892 tonnes in September 2012. By contrast, Canada increased its volumes to 248,781 tonnes in September 2013, from 168,740 tonnes in September last year. In the January-September period of 2013, alumina exports totalled 5.16 million tonnes, down 5.6% on the year.
China’s alumina imports climbed sharply in September on lower overseas prices, as foreseen by Shanghai Metals Market earlier. Inbound shipments of the raw material rose by 211.7% from a month ago to 450,000 tonnes in last month, data from Chinese customs office showed over the weekend. They were yet 6.1% down year-on-year. SMM reported in September that domestic alumina prices stopped sliding on cost support, making imports appealing after FOB prices of Australian alumina fell more than 10% from this year’s high. At the same time, new aluminium-making capacities being put on stream in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and other regions increased stocking demand from producers. SMM’s alumina prices are quoted between 2,325-2,540 yuan ($379-414) per tonne today. FOB prices of Australian...
An alumina plant and aluminium smelter project worth INR 15,000 crore would be set up near Mundra in Kutch district of Gujarat, Union Minister of State for Mines Dinsha Patel said today. "The plant will come up near Mundra in Kutch district of Gujarat. It is a joint venture between National Aluminium Company Ltd. (Nalco), a PSU with the Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC)," Patel told PTI over phone. "I had discussed this project with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and he had instructed the GMDC to speed up the process," he said. The minister expressed hope that this project would get its nod from the Gujarat cabinet soon and that the foundation stone of this project would be laid in a month. According to him, Nalco would have 51 per cent equity, while the GMDC will hold...
Vedanta Aluminium's (VAL) Rs 5,000-crore alumina refinery at Lanjigarh faces trouble over the denial of bauxite from the Niyamgiri hills but that hasn't stopped its technological innovations. The company plans to implement zero-based costing - a method to identify and implement every cost-saving opportunity by cutting ineffencies at every cost centre. "Our aim is to make Lanjigarh refinery the first zero-based refinery in the world," said Mukesh Kumar, chief executive of VAL. According to Kumar, the refinery can recover the entire cost of producing alumina by making high-value by-products and also cut down on the pollution load of the plant. The cost recovery is based on the normal cost of Indian alumina, pegged at $250-260 a tonne. Currently, the company incurs a higher cost of $380 a...
The Hindalco group company, Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL), which started alumina production from its plant in south Odisha about four months ago, is unable to transport the material to its end use plants pending permission from the railway authorities to operate the rail link. “About 13-km-long railway track from the plant site at Tikiri to Deragada in south Odisha’s Rayagada district has already been completed. The company is waiting for the permission from the railway authorities to operate the line. The permission is likely to come by the end of this month” said a company official. In the absence of transport facility, alumina produced in the plant are being stocked near the plant site. The powdery material which is converted into aluminium in 2:1 ratio through the...
Orbite Aluminae Inc. today announced changes to its leadership team in order to further expedite the achievement of its near-term and long-term goals. Mr. Denis Arguin, Vice President Operations has been promoted to Vice President Engineering and Operations. In this capacity, he will be replacing Mr. Denis Primeau, formerly Chief Engineer, who is no longer with the Corporation as of October 4, 2013. In addition, Mr. Yves Noël, formerly Chief Marketing Officer, has been named Vice President Business Development. "These changes streamline our management team, and are part of our ongoing process to build a new and stronger Orbite," said Glenn Kelly, Orbite's Chief Operating Officer. "Our team is focused upon the completion of our financing and will be capable of delivering on our near-term...
