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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The latest data revealed by the International Aluminium Institute for November 2023 indicates that Africa & Asia’s (ex-China) alumina production in the first eleven months of 2023 lags behind by 1.9 per cent from the prior year. Compared to 12.663 million tonnes of Africa & Asia’s (ex-China) alumina output from January to November 2022, this year’s production stood at 12.421 million tonnes. In November 2023, Africa & Asia (ex-China) produced 1.169 million tonnes of alumina, of which the metallurgical-grade output was 1.146 million tonnes, accounting for 98 per cent of the total production. On a month-on-month calculation, Africa & Asia’s (ex-China) alumina production in November 2023 slightly fell by 0.34 per cent from 1.173 million tonnes. But on a year-on-year basis, the output stood...
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, in November 2023, initiated the construction of a pilot plant to convert bauxite residue, a waste stream from alumina refining, into manufactured soil. The pilot plant is thought to be the first-of-its-kind in the world. Construction follows five years of scientific research & development by EGA and a consortium of global research partners, which led to a breakthrough in reusing one of the aluminium industry’s most challenging waste streams. EGA has spent the last year on detailed engineering work. The pilot plant will use EGA’s proprietary technology to neutralise caustic bauxite residue into an environmentally benign raw material in hours instead of undergoing decades-long, natural...
The current International Aluminium Institute data showed the world alumina production in November 2023 fell month-on-month by 1.90 per cent to 11.858 million tonnes, following an increase in October output. According to IAI, world alumina production in October was 12.088 million tonnes, up by 0.99 per cent from 11.970 million tonnes a month earlier. Throughout the year till November, world alumina production projected fluctuations, totalling 129.9 million tonnes compared to 130.35 million tonnes during the corresponding period of the previous year. That reflected a marginal dip of 0.35 per cent in the world’s alumina production from January to November 2023. On the other hand, despite the fall in monthly production in November 2023, the world’s daily average output in the said month was...
On Friday, December 22, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik virtually attended the groundbreaking ceremony of Hindalco Alumina Refinery and Apparel Unit to be set up by Utkal Alumina Social Welfare Foundation. The alumina refinery will come up at Kansariguda, and the apparel complex will be in Phulujuba village, both in Rayagada district. This refinery will be Hindalco’s second alumina refining plant in the Rayagada district of Odisha. While attending the groundbreaking ceremony on a virtual platform, Mr Patnaik said these projects are not only an industrial milestone but a crucial attempt to explore the potential within our state’s natural resources. He also said that these two new projects in Odisha prove that this state is a preferable destination for investment in manufacturing. He...
Norsk Hydro ASA, a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, reports estimated impairment losses of NOK 5.9 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023 to be ended on December 31. Challenging alumina market condition coupled with Australian power price insecurity caused this loss to Hydro. “The bauxite and alumina operations are a key enabler for Hydro to pioneer the green aluminium transition by significantly reducing the upstream carbon footprint. In the short and medium term, we see challenging alumina markets and weak cash flow generation in B&A coming from market volatility in times of geopolitical turmoil, impacting the current valuation of the assets,” says President and CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim. She added, “Longer term, we expect a higher share of greener earnings in B&A, as we...
Aughinish Alumina refinery, the largest refinery in Europe and the largest alumina facility operated by UC Rusal has reportedly reapplied for planning permission to expand its factory’s waste disposal area near the banks of the Shannon Estuary. Environmental group Futureproof Clare said it is steadfast in its opposition to the expansion proposal, claiming that it has no proper planning or sustainable vision. Initially, An Bórd Pleanála, an independent, statutory, quasi-judicial body, granted permission for the expansion last year. But later on, Futureproof Clare appealed to the High Court to challenge the consent. Aughinish Alumina’s first application for permission to expand the waste disposal area, which is used for stockpiling leftover bauxite residue, dates back to December 2021....
The United States alumina imports in the first nine months of 2023, ending September 30, touched the 1 million tonnes level but marked a year-on-year downfall of 27 per cent from 1.37 million tonnes, according to the USGS data. The country’s alumina imports had been sluggish since the beginning of the year, amounting to 323,000 tonnes in Q1 2023 versus 445,000 tonnes in Q4 2022. Although in the two successive quarters, the imports grew Q-o-Q but remained range-bound and registered sharp downfalls compared to the previous year. For instance, in Q2 2023, the US alumina imports grew quarter-on-quarter by 2.8 per cent to 332,000 tonnes but stood 31.4 per cent lower Y-o-Y than 484,000 tonnes. In Q3 2023, witnessing a similar trend, the imports increased Q-o-Q by 3.92 per cent to 345,000 tonnes...
Based on data provided by Baichuan Yingfu, the average tax-inclusive total cost of China's alumina industry in November 2023 was RMB 2685.91 per tonne. This is a drop of RMB 38.61 per tonne compared to October 2023, a month-on-month decline of 1.42 per cent and a year-on-year decline of 3.80 per cent. In November, the supply of domestically produced bauxite in China increased, contributing to the continued rise in price centre. Regarding ore imports, the market trade pattern primarily relies on implementing initial contracts, resulting in elevated prices. As for liquid alkali, the prices in the Chinese market initially declined, followed by a rise in November. However, the restricted price growth in the latter period resulted from the average performance of overall demand. Consequently,...
As per IAI, America’s alumina production has registered a Year-on-Year growth of 3.52 per cent from 10.352 million tonnes in the first three quarters of 2022 to 10.717 million tonnes in the first three quarters of 2023. Therefore, America has contributed around 10 per cent to the Q1+Q2+Q3 world alumina production in 2023. According to the International Aluminium Institute’s (IAI) data, the world alumina production is presently at 105.968 million tonnes, joining the first three quarters of 2023, which is 74.5 per cent of the total world alumina production marked at 142.227 million tonnes in 2022. We can hope that the last and final quarter will be fulfilling, but the transition to green energy resources might hamper production to a certain extent in the American sub-continent. Moreover,...
According to the Shanghai Metals Market survey, China's metallurgical-grade alumina production in November 2023 recorded a further M-o-M decline to stand at 6.745 million tonnes. The output decreased by 1.44 per cent over a month from 6.842 million tonnes. But the daily average output stood 1.86 per cent higher month-on-month at 224,800 tonnes compared to 220,700 tonnes in October, in line with SMM projection. SMM estimated last month that China's daily alumina production would stand at 223,000 tonnes per day in November, with an operating capacity of 81.15 million tonnes. In reality, China's daily output as well as operating capacity surpassed the SMM forecast by 1,800 tonnes and 92,000 tonnes, respectively. At the end of November 2023, China's operating alumina capacity was 82.07...
Vedanta Lanjigarh, India's leading producer of metallurgical grade alumina, has received 5 Gold medals at the 48th International Convention on Quality Control Circles (ICQCC-2023) in Beijing, hosted by the China Association of Quality (CAQ). These highly competitive accolades demonstrate Vedanta Aluminium's dedication to improving the quality of its vast product line and encouraging efficient operating operations. The award emphasises the company's commitment to maintaining demanding standards in all operational aspects, further solidifying its industry reputation for excellence. The accolades bestowed to Vedanta Lanjigarh at ICQCC 2023 reaffirm the company's dedication to using state-of-the-art technology to achieve quality assurance and maintain exceptional operational performance. In...
Aluminium value chain is a complete and thriving industry in Europe, with over 600 plants across 30 European countries. Presently, 9 million tonnes is Europe’s annual demand for primary aluminium, and by 2050, the demand is expected to grow till 18 million tonnes. However, production has seen a dip in the recent past owing to the energy crisis since the beginning of 2023. The hit has not spared the alumina sector as well, bringing its production in the first ten months to 5.36 million tonnes compared to 7.09 million tonnes. That indicated a decrease of 32.28 per cent in Europe’s (including Russia) alumina output from January to October 2023. As of early September 2023, about 1 million tonnes of European primary aluminium capacity went offline as the power-intensive sector struggled to...
National Aluminum Company Ltd. (Nalco)'s Alumina Refinery at Damanjodi has been honoured with the CII-EXIM Bank Business Excellence Award 2023, the most prestigious recognition for outstanding business practices. The announcement was made at the CII Quality Summit 2023 in Bengaluru. The refinery's commitment to business excellence and continuous efforts towards quality has led to this esteemed award. Prior to this, the Refinery Plant had received Gold Plus and Platinum recognitions in previous years. From 2019 to 2022, they secured the CII-EXIM Bank Business Excellence Platinum Award. In 2018, the Alumina Refinery of NALCO received the CII-EXIM Bank Business Excellence Award in the Gold Plus category. In 2018, Nalco's Panchpatmali Mines was awarded the Gold Plus at the CII National...
According to the latest update, Norsk Hydro has completed the transaction of US$1.11 billion with Glencore for the sale of 30 per cent interest in Alunorte alumina refinery and 5 per cent interest in Brazilian bauxite producer and exporter Mineracão Rio do Norte (MRN). The transaction also includes the sale of an additional 40 per cent stake in MRN, which Hydro had to purchase first and then sell to Glencore on the condition that it would no longer have an ownership position in MRN. Around mid-November, the companies received unconditional approval from relevant competition authorities , including Brazil, China, Germany, and Austria, for the partnership over Alunorte and MRN acquisition. “We are looking forward to work with Glencore to further develop Alunorte. Glencore has broad...
According to the International Aluminium Institute data, alumina production in Africa & Asia (ex-China) during October 2023 stood at 1.17 million tonnes, reflecting a rise of 2.63 per cent month-on-month. The output rebounded in the said month to return to the production volume in August. In September, Africa & Asia’s alumina production stood at 1.14 million tonnes versus 1.17 million tonnes in the previous month. The production decline in September was a continuation as alumina output in August also decreased by 0.85 per cent from 1.18 million tonnes. On a year-on-year calculation, alumina production in Africa & Asia (ex-China) during October 2023 was also 0.85 per cent down from 1.18 million tonnes. In the first ten months of 2023, alumina production in Africa & Asia (ex-China) amounted...
According to the International Aluminium Institute survey, world alumina production in October 2023 stood at 12.25 million tonnes, reflecting a month-on-month rise of 2.17 per cent. The output recovered in October but could not reach the production volume of August. In August 2023, world alumina production was recorded at 12.369 million tonnes, which fell in the succeeding month by 3.06 per cent to 11.99 million tonnes, according to the IAI data. On a year-on-year basis, world alumina production in October 2023 remained almost restrained compared to 12.21 million tonnes. From January to October 2023, the world‘s cumulative production of alumina amounted to 118.22 million tonnes, down by 0.50 per cent from 118.81 million tonnes during the corresponding period of the previous year. The...
The first stage of Alpha HPA's 5N-purity aluminium nitrate precursor manufacturing plant is nearing completion in Queensland. The total production of aluminium nitrate in Stage 1 has achieved an estimated quantity of 258 tonnes, with a specified purity level of 5N (99.999%). Currently, an estimated quantity of 25 metric tonnes of aluminium nitrate has been sent for test samples and transformed into high-purity alumina (HPAs) and alumina tri-hydrates for both sales and test work orders. A small-scale commercial high-purity alumina (HPA) circuit will be installed, and the facility's capabilities will expand to span the whole product range thanks to $15.5 million funding given by the state government's essential minerals development programme. Once the first step of the circuit is entirely...
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has initiated the construction of a first-of-its-kind pilot plant to convert bauxite residue, a waste stream generated during alumina refining, into a specially engineered soil known as 'Turba.' EGA's Turba, created from bauxite residue, offers a promising alternative to address the country's soil scarcity. Moreover, early studies indicate that Turba may possess up to 10 times better carbon dioxide absorption properties than natural soil in the UAE. The significance of this project lies in its potential to address one of the most challenging waste streams in the aluminium industry. The pilot plant, believed to be the first of its kind globally, is the culmination of five years of scientific research and development conducted by EGA in collaboration with a...
