Domestic spot alumina prices edged down slightly last week amid flat trading activity. Recent alumina price movements were mainly attributed to earlier concentrated restocking by downstream buyers, which has led to accumulating inventories at rail stations and smelters. Coupled with supply-side maintenance-driven output cuts that are still building, readily available spot volumes have tightened relatively. Only sporadic tender deals were heard recently, leaving prices in a temporary steady phase. On the bauxite front, domestic ore prices saw limited movement last week. Supply-side bottlenecks are unlikely to ease in the near term, with mines prioritising captive supply, leaving little excess spot material available. For imported ore, freight rates rebounded slightly and consecutively last...
The global aluminium supply chain is facing a series of changes that extend from bauxite mines and alumina refineries to smelters, regional premiums and finished-metal trade. In 2026, the market’s direction is being shaped not only by production volumes but also by freight costs, export restrictions, shifting Chinese demand and tariffs. Developments across Guinea, Australia, China, Europe and North America point to a market where access to supply is increasingly as important as the availability of raw materials. Bauxite supply: Guinea’s cap meets a well-stocked China, but is it stable? Guinea remains central to the seaborne bauxite market, with its shipment connections to China demonstrating the importance of reliable logistics. A new sea-rail route has enabled a Guinea bauxite shipment...
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During January-February 2025, the world's metallurgical-grade alumina production recorded an impressive increase of 4.41 per cent, reaching 23.015 million tonnes versus 22.043 million tonnes a year ago. In both January and February, the output increased Y-o-Y by 6.77 per cent and 1.89 per cent, totalling 12.149 million tonnes and 10.866 million tonnes, respectively. As per the data shown by the International Aluminium Institute, metallurgical-grade alumina production in February 2025 grew Y-o-Y from 10.664 million tonnes, despite a fewer operational day, with the daily average output reaching 388,100 tonnes versus 367,700 tonnes in February 2024. Thanks to China's expanded alumina refining capacity that drove the growth of global output, offsetting declines across all other major...
With an agenda of counteracting persistent overcapacity and subsequently stabilising global alumina prices, China has come up with a bunch of measures (of course, in a series) aimed at curtailing the rapid expansion of alumina production. The new directives, outlined in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) Action Plan for the High-Quality Development of the Aluminium Industry (2025–2027), extensively highlight the need to shift the country’s approach to managing its aluminium supply chain. Policy overview and strategic objectives The latest policy mandates that firms who are planning to establish new alumina projects must secure adequate bauxite supply to ensure a balanced and sustainable growth model. This requirement is a successor to the earlier guidance...
State-owned aluminium producer PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) plans to finalise the feasibility study and make a final investment decision (FID) for the second phase of its smelter-grade alumina refinery (SGAR) in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, within this year. These documents will serve as the basis for commencing the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) processes. Inalum had previously targeted completing both documents by the end of 2024 and starting construction within the same year. Inalum and state-owned miner PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) has completed the first phase of the smelter-grade alumina refinery (SGAR) in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, with plans for the smelter to achieve full operation shortly after the end of the first quarter this year. The initial phase is...
High-Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) of Odisha, on March 28, 2025, sanctioned the investment proposal of a total INR 1,65,303 crore (USD 19.35 billion) under Chief Minister Mohan Majhi's chairmanship in a bid to boost the state's overall industrial landscape. The investment shall stretch across different sectors, including aluminium, green energy equipment, steel, green hydrogen, power generation and engineering goods. It has been put forward that a total of 51,939 job possibilities can be witnessed after the completion of these projects. Moreover, the investing projects will be majorly done in 7 different districts of Odisha, including Cuttack, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Ganjam, Rayagada and Khurda. The majority of the investment will be brought by Vedanta Group, an Indian...
On March 25, Alcoa Corporation received an order to pay a fine of $400,000 plus an additional $5,536 from the Rockingham Magistrates Court as a verdict of an incident at its Kwinana refinery in September 2022. The incident involved a caustic chemical spill that resulted in burns to both workers of the refinery and year 12 students who visited the site from Gilmore College. This spill incident in 2022 was one of 40 similar occurrences at the Kwinana refinery within less than two years. An investigation by WorkSafe WA found the accident occurred due to a miscommunication between two workers. One worker noticed smoke and debris from a pump and opened the discharge valve to prevent pressure buildup. Meanwhile, another worker unknowingly pressed the start button on the pump when the discharge...
Nanshan Aluminium International Holdings, backed by commodities giant Glencore, faced a muted debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, reflecting broader concerns over declining alumina prices. Shares of the Southeast Asian alumina producer opened by climbing as much as 1.1 per cent in early trading but later retreated, slipping 1 per cent to HK$26.35 apiece by 10:27 a.m. local time. The company, a subsidiary of China’s Nanshan Group, intends to utilise the IPO proceeds for production expansion in Indonesia and general corporate purposes. Alumina prices soared to record highs in 2024, more than doubling amid supply chain disruptions from Jamaica to Guinea, Australia, and China. However, a surge in new production capacity has since triggered a sharp price correction, dampening investor...
General Mamadi Doumbouya, leader of the Guinean junta, is set to lay the foundation stone for the construction of a major alumina refinery in collaboration with Chinese firm SPIC International Investment and Development (Guinea) Co., Ltd., as per local sources reported from ground zero. The foundation stone will be laid on March 26, 2025, in Boffa, specifically in the Koundindhé district, Tougnifilidy sector, within the Douprou sub-prefecture. The project site is currently in its preparatory phase. Initially slated for March 22, the ceremony has been rescheduled to March 26 due to organisational adjustments. The ambitious refinery project stems from an agreement signed in December 2023 between Guinea’s Minister of Mines and Geology, Bouna Sylla, and SPIC. Once completed, the facility will...
On March 14, 2025, the Russian aluminium giant stated that it had agreed to acquire a 26 per cent stake in an Indian alumina refinery owner for $243.75 million, with the option to gradually increase its holding to 50 per cent, as reported by Reuters. Image credit: Gulf Times This strategic move aims to reduce Rusal's dependence on third-party raw materials. As one of the world's leading primary aluminium producers outside China and also the world's largest low-carbon aluminium producer, Rusal has not been directly subjected to Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. However, the company lost around 40 per cent of its alumina supply after Australia imposed an export ban on Russia, and it was forced to shut down its alumina refinery in Ukraine. RUSAL produces more than three million...
According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) survey, the world alumina production (including chemical-grade alumina) in January 2025 showed a slight month-on-month decline, totalling 12.83 million tonnes versus 12.852 million tonnes in December 2024. Probing into the output A closer look at the monthly alumina production reveals that metallurgical-grade alumina output remained stable at 12.111 million tonnes in January 2025, compared to 12.116 million tonnes in December 2024. Chemical-grade alumina production, on the other hand, registered a 2.31 per cent fall M-o-M from 736,000 tonnes to 719,000 tonnes, leading to a downfall of overall alumina production in January.The world’s daily average metallurgical-grade alumina production in January 2025 was 390,700 tonnes, compared to...
In a major development, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), India’s largest listed infrastructure firm, has announced that its Minerals & Metals (M&M) business vertical has secured a significant order from Hindalco. The contract involves the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of an 850 KTPA Greenfield alumina refinery plant in Odisha. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has maintained a strong partnership with Hindalco for over three decades, serving as a key EPC contractor in its expansion initiatives across alumina, aluminium, and copper plants. This latest order reaffirms Hindalco’s confidence in L&T as a trusted partner in driving its ambitious growth plans. Meanwhile, L&T’s Metallurgical & Material Handling (M&M) vertical had previously secured a contract to establish an 8 MTPA...
The past week has been all about the dynamic shift driven by rising domestic prices, US tariff policies, and fluctuating supply-demand dynamics in the global aluminium market. According to various news platforms, Chinese aluminium spot prices have hiked to RMB 20,524 per tonne (USD 2,862 per tonne) in South China, followed by RMB 20,504 per tonne (USD 2,859 per tonne) in East China. Both the regions were separately up 1.67 per cent and 1.65 per cent week-on-week. This increase was fuelled by a 0.84 per cent gain in LME prices to USD 2,636 per tonne, trending higher by 1.51 per cent week-on-week along with stronger downstream demand. Meanwhile, a potential speed-breaker looms as the US, under the Trump administration, has imposed a 10 per cent tariff from February and intends to slap...
ABX Group has declared the termination of its prior 2017 agreement with Core Refining, stating that the company is no longer in requirement of intellectual property (IP) for its ALCORE Project located in Tasmania. The Core Refining IP was initially licenced to ABX for the refinement purpose of various types of raw material with fluorine acids, subsequently producing aluminium fluoride from bauxite. The operation project took place under ABX’s 83 per cent owned subsidiary, ALCORE. This picture is for reference purposes only The termination aligns with ALCORE’s recent transition to the continuous pilot plant stage, following a lease agreement with Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) for an industrial facility near the Bell Bay aluminium smelter in northern Tasmania. ABX, which has a market capitalisation...
Glencore comes to headlines for its ‘blow for blow’ move! After losing its aluminium segment trader to Vitol, it reportedly replenishes its alumina trading segment with a new joinee from Guvnor. The latter entity’s alumina trader, Zach Mayer, is reportedly leaving his position to join Glencore Plc on May 1, 2025. Image Credit: https://www.glencore.com/ Gunvor has verified Mayer’s resignation, stating that he was leaving for personal reasons. The company has further added that the alumina book is planned to be taken over by Ulas Alkan. There has been no comment from either the prospective employer or employee on the matter. Gunvor primary trade revolves around energy products such as oil. It has recently extended its trading division into metals with anticipation of proven profitability...
Jamaica’s alumina export value increased by 25.9 per cent, totalling US$447.3 million during the first nine months of 2024. This growth has contributed to a 17 per cent rise in Jamaica’s overall export revenue from the mining and quarrying sector to US$500.7 million. In the first quarter of 2024, Jamaica’s alumina export value was US$132.2 million versus US$89.2 million during the corresponding period of the previous year. In the next quarter, Jamaica’s earnings from alumina exports grew further, contributing to a 27 per cent boost in mineral export revenues. But despite the steady rise in Jamaica’s alumina export value, the Caribbean country’s domestic export value through the first nine months of 2024 fell 10.8 per cent to US$1,360.5 million, caused by a sharp contraction in re-exports...
Africa & Asia (ex-China) ranks as the world's third-largest alumina-producing region after China, Oceania, and South America, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of the world's output annually . In 2024, the region's share of global alumina production increased slightly to exactly 10%, up from 9.65% in the previous year. The contribution has grown in line with the increase in production volume from 13.014 million tonnes in 2023 to 13.859 million tonnes in 2024 , reflecting a Y-o-Y rise of 6.49 per cent, according to the data revealed by the International Aluminium Institute. Throughout 2024, Africa & Asia's (ex-China) alumina production stood between 1.12-1.19 million tonnes. There were only three months when production exceeded 1.2 million tonnes, such as in March, June, and December....
Though it is only the conclusion of quarter two for Impact Minerals in December 2024, the company’s entire calendar year 2024 performance data have poured in with its December quarterly report publication. Throughout the year, Impact Minerals has taken quite a few steps ahead across various exploration and development projects, notably its flagship Lake Hope High Purity Alumina (HPA) Project in Western Australia. The consolidated report focuses on the numbers throughout the year, along with the company’s activities and milestones across the four quarters. Third Quarter FY24 (Ending March 2024) Impact Minerals has focused heavily on advancing its Lake Hope Project as planned earlier since the beginning of the year with other exploration activities. Lake Hope, WA: The project achieved...
The world alumina production saw a significant hike in 2024, withstanding the bauxite supply shortage compared to the growth in demand. China, the world’s largest alumina producer, saw a continued bauxite supply gap in 2024 yet exceeded expected production. That could be possible due to the significant profitability of alumina refineries, enabling them to accept high-priced bauxite and continue operations. Image source: Made-in-China According to the International Aluminium Insititute, the world’s alumina production totalled 147.047 million tonnes in 2024, reflecting an annual increase of 2.61 per cent from 143.313 million tonnes. Of the total output in 2024, metallurgical-grade alumina accounted for 93.95 per cent by producing 138.151 million tonnes, while chemical-grade accounted for...
Mining conglomerate Vedanta's dream project of 6 million tonnes per annum of alumina refinery and 30 lakh tonnes of aluminium smelter is coming to life, for which the budget is INR 1 lakh crore (US$11.55 billion). As per the report, the project's first phase is expected to be commissioned in the next three years, with further expansion plans in the pipeline. Image source: Vedanta Limited The news came after Vedanta's chairman, Anil Agarwal, announced the project plan at the Make in Odisha Conclave 2025, adding that it would strategically come up in the Rayagada district of Odisha to take advantage of the nearby bauxite from Vedanta's Sijimali bauxite mine, which is currently under development for exploration. In October 2024, Vedanta talked about this project for the first time during the...
