Ghana is seeking investors to establish an alumina refinery, aiming to close a gap in its bauxite-to-aluminium production chain as the country prepares to phase out raw mineral ore exports by 2030. President John Dramani Mahama has identified the absence of domestic alumina refining as a key obstacle to retaining more value from the country’s mineral resources. Speaking during a panel discussion at the 2026 Financial Times Africa Summit on October 21, Mahama said Ghana could no longer rely on exporting raw materials while importing finished products. The government wants more processing to take place locally, creating jobs and expanding industrial activity. “We cannot continue forever to be the exporter of raw materials to the rest of the world and consumers of finished products,” Mahama...
Aughinish Alumina, the Rusal-owned refinery in County Limerick and one of Ireland’s major industrial employers, remains outside the European Commission’s draft 22nd sanctions package against Russia, although pressure to restrict its alumina exports continues. However, the position could change as the European Commission consults EU member states on the proposed measures. Confidential discussions involving Commission officials and senior diplomats from all 27 member states are expected to take place over the coming weeks to assess support for the proposals and consider possible amendments. Alumina export restrictions remain under consideration The debate centres on Aughinish Alumina’s shipments to Russia, where the raw material is processed into aluminium at smelters owned by Rusal....
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Red mud, the highly alkaline by-product generated during alumina production, could become a valuable source of iron and low-carbon construction materials if processed through an integrated recovery route, according to a new review examining advances in green metallurgy and sustainable cement technologies. The study argues that coupling iron extraction with the production of cementitious materials offers a practical pathway for reducing waste, lowering carbon emissions and improving resource efficiency across the aluminium industry. Aluminium industry's waste challenge continues to grow The review notes that global red mud (RM) stockpiles have now exceeded 4 billion tonnes, with the production of every tonne of alumina generating roughly one to two tonnes of the residue. China alone...
The Australian West Perth-based Impact Minerals Limited is set to release 12 million ordinary shares from escrow on July 27, 2026. This would mark a key milestone after the expiry of the initial escrow period related to its acquisition of an 80 per cent stake in Playa One Pty Ltd, the owner of the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina (HPA) Project. The release follows the expiry of the initial escrow period linked to the transaction and complies with ASX Listing Rule 3.10A. The Lake Hope project is central to Impact Minerals' strategy to establish a presence in the growing high-purity alumina market, a critical material which serves applications such as lithium-ion batteries, semiconductors, LEDs and synthetic sapphire. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report...
Australia-based mining and metals company South32 released its financial report for the June quarter 2026 (Q4) and the FY2026 annual performance, delivering a mixed operational performance across its aluminium portfolio during FY2026. Higher year-on-year production from Brazil Alumina and Brazil Aluminium (despite its weak quarter-on-quarter output) offset softer sales at several operations and the suspension of production at Mozal Aluminium. Worsley Alumina maintained stable production levels. South32 CEO Matt Daley stated, “On 1 July, we announced a step change for South32, with the sale of our aluminium value chain business to Alcoa. Once complete, this sale will unlock significant value for shareholders and reposition South32 as a leading upstream base metals-focused company.” Explore...
The Pacific alumina market is expected to find stronger support in the third quarter of 2026 as uncertainty over Guinea's proposed bauxite export controls, rising aluminium demand in Indonesia and the gradual recovery of Middle Eastern smelting operations begin to ease the surplus seen in the previous quarter. Although the market remains well supplied, participants expect supply and demand conditions to tighten compared with Q2, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights' CERA analysis. Supply concerns have centred on Guinea, where possible export restrictions have raised questions over future bauxite availability. China, which relies heavily on Guinean bauxite, imported a record 23 million tonnes of bauxite in May, up 31.9 per cent year on year, with Guinea accounting for 85.1 per cent...
Impact Minerals Limited has received a AUD 310,000 (USD 203,200) rebate under Australia's Research and Development Tax Incentive scheme for the financial year ended June 2025. The company said the funding will be used to advance its flagship Lake Hope High Purity Alumina (HPA) Project and support its investment in Alluminous Pty Ltd. According to Managing Director Dr Mike Jones, the project's unique mineralogy, together with its patented and proprietary processing techniques, enabled the company to recover a significant portion of its research and development expenditure through the incentive programme. The rebate will support ongoing pilot plant studies being carried out in collaboration with CPC Engineering and Edith Cowan University, which are focused on producing high-purity alumina...
Advanced Engineered Materials (AEM) has announced that its nanoparticle high-purity alumina (HPA) has demonstrated improved mechanical performance in zirconia-alumina ceramics, following laboratory testing conducted by Swiss ceramics manufacturer Zürcher Frères SA. According to AEM, the testing showed that ceramics produced using its nano HPA delivered higher hardness and fracture toughness compared with materials supplied by existing producers. Zürcher Frères described the performance of the ceramics as suitable for demanding applications requiring high mechanical strength and wear resistance. Following the evaluation, AEM and Zürcher Frères have signed an ongoing cooperation agreement under which AEM will become the exclusive supplier of nanoparticle HPA for Zürcher Frères'...
Limerick Mayor John Moran has called on the Irish government to establish a forum to improve communication with stakeholders as uncertainty continues over the future of Aughinish Alumina, Europe's largest alumina refinery. In a letter to Taoiseach and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke, Moran proposed creating a forum involving workers, trade unions, suppliers and the wider community to help address concerns surrounding the refinery and prepare for any future decisions. The proposal comes as debate continues over whether the Russian-owned refinery should face sanctions after reports emerged in March alleging that alumina produced at the plant may have been linked to sanctioned manufacturers supplying weapons used in Russia's war against Ukraine. The Irish government...
When South32 agreed at the start of July to sell almost its entire aluminium value chain to Alcoa for up to USD 5.6 billion, the instinctive read was that a diversified miner had blinked and walked away from aluminium. The sharper question is the one the market keeps misframing: did South32 sell at the bottom, or did it finally price the single variable that decides an aluminium smelter’s life — power? The “bottom” theory does not survive contact with the tape. Aluminium is trading near historic highs, not lows. The LME three-month price touched a four-year peak around USD 3,750 per tonne in early June before a roughly 9 per cent correction on Gulf de-escalation; even after that pullback, it holds above USD 3,100, more than 21 per cent higher year on year. LME stocks have fallen below...
From July 6-10, 2026, domestic spot alumina prices gradually stabilised with narrow fluctuations. As of July 10, the weighted national average spot price for smelter-grade alumina with a minimum purity of 98.6 per cent stood at RMB 2,762 per tonne, down RMB 14 per tonne from a week earlier, according to Mysteel's price assessment. Alumina prices softened further over the week, weighed down by a retreat in futures prices, rising supply from new and restarted capacity in the south, and increased south-to-north shipments. While Typhoon Maysak briefly affected logistics in Guangxi, operations have largely resumed. The traders' inventories continued to build, and buyer sentiment remained cautious. In detail, alumina futures prices at Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) pulled back steadily...
India's Aditya Birla Group has proposed an additional investment of USD 1.26 billion to expand the capacity of its Kansariguda alumina refinery in Odisha to 3 million tonnes per annum, according to the Odisha government. The expansion will be executed by the group's aluminium company, Hindalco Industries. With the additional investment, the total proposed investment in the refinery will increase to about USD 2.1 billion. The project is intended to increase the refinery's alumina production capacity from 1 million tonnes per annum to 3 million tonnes per annum. The proposal comes as Hindalco is also pursuing the expansion of its subsidiary Aditya Aluminium's aluminium smelter and captive power plant at Lapanga in Odisha. The proposed brownfield project would increase aluminium production...
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has restarted alumina production at its Al Taweelah alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi, marking another step in restoring operations at the company's integrated aluminium production complex. EGA said alumina production is expected to reach 50 per cent of the refinery's capacity within days. The company expects to have the technical capability to ramp up to full production by the end of 2026, although the pace of further increases will depend on supply chain conditions and the optimisation of its alumina sourcing strategy. The company noted that the ramp-up of aluminium production at the adjacent Al Taweelah smelter is not dependent on the refinery reaching full operating capacity. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report –...
Ireland's Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, has rejected suggestions that the controversy over alleged alumina exports from Aughinish Alumina in Limerick to Russia has overshadowed the start of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Speaking in Strasbourg, Byrne said the issue was on the European agenda but was not dominating discussions, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raising concerns during the opening ceremony of Ireland's EU presidency at Dublin Castle. His comments came after the European Parliament approved a non-binding motion calling for alleged alumina exports from the European Union to Russia to be included in future sanctions. While the amendment did not specifically mention Aughinish Alumina, it was intended to encourage...
MECON Limited has successfully completed the trial run of the BBC-1 and BBC-2 conveyor systems for NALCO's 1.0 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) Alumina Refinery Stream-5 expansion project at Damanjodi, Odisha. The trial was carried out in the presence of NALCO Director (Production & Technology) and MECON Director (Technical), marking a key milestone in the progress of the refinery expansion. According to MECON, the successful testing of the conveyor systems represents an important step towards the integrated commissioning of the Bauxite Storage, Handling and Secondary Crushing Plant, which forms a critical part of the refinery's material-handling infrastructure. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report – Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036:...
Jamaica's Minister of Agriculture, Floyd Green, has announced that the reopening and modernisation of the Alpart alumina refinery has moved a step forward following meetings with officials of JISCO and the Government of Gansu Province during his recent visit to China. Speaking in Parliament, Green said JISCO has confirmed its plans to carry out a two-phase modernisation programme to bring the refinery back into operation and upgrade it into a modern alumina production facility. The first phase of the project will involve an investment of about USD 490 million. Planned work includes upgrading major processing units, improving plant infrastructure, modernising the power generation system, introducing dry-stacking technology for bauxite residue management, and rehabilitating rail and port...
Momentum is building within the European Parliament as Aughinish Alumina faces a European Union vote to decide the future of its exports to Russia. Several Members of the Parliament, resolute to urge a full ban on the Russia-bound shipments, add fresh pressure on both Brussels and Dublin. It forms part of a non-binding resolution on Ukraine due to be voted on in Strasbourg on Wednesday . The outcome would not immediately change EU law, but broad parliamentary backing would increase pressure on the European Commission to include alumina exports in the 21st Sanctions Package on Russia. Explore the relevance of red mud in the sustainable aluminium industry in A Comprehensive Analysis of Bauxite Residue (Red Mud): Sustainability, Resource Recovery and Strategic Recommendations Broad political...
Moody's has placed South32's credit ratings under review for a possible downgrade after the miner agreed to sell most of its aluminium, alumina and bauxite assets to Alcoa in a transaction valued at up to USD 5.6 billion. The ratings agency said the proposed divestment would significantly reduce South32's operational scale, commodity diversification and geographic footprint, increasing concentration risk within the company's portfolio. Under the agreement, South32 will sell most of its aluminium assets, including aluminium smelters, alumina refineries and bauxite mines, such as the Hillside Aluminium smelter in South Africa. Following the transaction, the company's only remaining aluminium-related asset will be the Mozal Aluminium smelter in Mozambique, which entered care and maintenance...
A court in Ukraine has authorised the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) to take over and sell more than 3,000 specialised containers linked to the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant, concluding that continued storage would further reduce the assets' economic value. According to a ruling by the Central District Court of Mykolaiv, the seized property comprises 3,045 reusable textile containers used to transport bulk materials. The containers, owned by Russian company Novitni Tekhnologii v Perevozhennyakh, are valued at approximately USD 304,500, or more than UAH 11.1 million at the exchange rate applicable when they were seized. The containers were imported into Ukraine under a temporary import regime and were used at the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant. They have been treated as evidence in a...
The European Union (EU) Parliament is set to hold a non-binding vote this week on whether Aughinish Alumina should be included in the framework of the EU’s sanctions on Russia. The move adds further political pressure on Ireland as it begins its six-month presidency of the EU Council. Aughinish Alumina's European Union vote follows amendment proposals submitted by the European People's Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) groups ahead of Parliament's debate on the 2025 European Commission Report on Ukraine in Strasbourg. Explore the relevance of red mud in the sustainable aluminium industry in A Comprehensive Analysis of Bauxite Residue (Red Mud): Sustainability, Resource Recovery and Strategic Recommendations Both amendments call for tougher trade restrictions, including "a...
