Chevron Australia has entered a new natural gas supply agreement with South32’s Worsley Alumina business, reinforcing the importance of reliable energy supplies to Australia’s alumina refining industry. The deal will support operations at the Western Australian facility, where energy availability remains central to mineral processing and industrial activity. Under the contract, Chevron will supply natural gas to South32 Worsley Alumina Pty Ltd from 1 January 2028. The arrangement continues a longstanding commercial relationship between the companies, with the fuel allocated to the alumina producer’s processing requirements. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: " Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade...
Rio Tinto and Rondo Energy have commenced front-end engineering and design for a 30 MW/360 MWh thermal energy storage project at the Yarwun alumina refinery near Gladstone, Queensland, marking a potential milestone in the use of heat batteries to reduce emissions from alumina refining. The Rondo Heat Battery will store energy as high-temperature heat in refractory bricks and supply continuous process heat to support Rio Tinto’s alumina refining operations. If progressed, the project would be one of the first large-scale demonstrations of thermal energy storage for industrial process heat globally and a world-first for the alumina industry. Heat batteries target round-the-clock industrial demand Australia regularly experiences four to six hours of surplus solar-generated renewable...
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Alumina Limited reported a statutory net profit after tax of US$90.5 million for the half-year to 30 June 2020, down 57% year on year. Excluding significant items, the net profit after tax was US$87.5 million. The Company declared an interim, fully franked dividend of 2.8 US cents per share. The Company’s dividend reinvestment plan has been reactivated for this dividend. The company achieved record daily alumina production for the half. Margin for alumina refineries was US$73 per tonne, a decrease of US$84 per tonne compared to the previous corresponding period and US$24 per tonne sequentially. EBITDA stood at US$507.1 million, a decrease of US$442.8 million. Alumina’s Chief Executive Officer, Mike Ferraro, said, “The health and safety of employees is paramount at Alumina and AWAC, and...
As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, average spot alumina price in China has risen by RMB 17 per tonne on Monday, August 24 2020, to stand at RMB 2347 per tonne. This marks the third consecutive hike in alumina price. The prices in all other major markets have also increased today, except South. The prices of alumina in East, Central, and North China markets have climbed by RMB 15 per tonne, RMB 20 per tonne and RMB 10 per tonne to stand at RMB 2320 per tonne, RMB 2350 per tonne, and RMB 2340 per tonne. Alumina-South remains unchanged at RMB 2520 per tonne. The price of aluminium alloy (ZLD102) and aluminium alloy (ZLD104) stand at RMB 15300 per tonne each, a decrease of RMB 50 per tonne each. The price of Aluminium Alloy (A356) has decreased by RMB150 per tonne to range at...
After remaining restrained at RMB 2,302 per tonne during August 19-20, the average alumina spot price has recorded an increase of RMB 16 per tonne today, on August 21, for the second consecutive day, to stand at RMB 2,330 per tonne according to the Shanghai Metals Market. In the central and north, the alumina price has also come in at RMB 2,330 per tonne after growing by RMB 20 per tonne on August 21. The price in the East has inched up by RMB 5 per tonne to RMB 2,305 per tonne, while that in the south has remained muted at RMB 2,520 per tonne. The Australian alumina FOB price has jumped by US$ 17 per tonne to stand at US$ 288 per tonne, while the imported alumina price, on the other hand, has remained unchanged at RMB 2,300 per tonne. The A00 aluminium ingot price has continued to grow...
On Wednesday, August 19, the Supreme Court ordered National Aluminium Company (NALCO) to ensure delivery of 30,000 tonnes of metallurgical-grade calcined alumina to Vedanta at Visakhapatnam on Free on Board (FOB) basis. The same will be for use in Vedanta’s SEZ unit at Jharsuguda in Orissa, mandated the Supreme Court. Vedanta Resources had filed a contempt petition to the Supreme Court against Nalco, alleging “willful disobedience” of January order that allowed the UK-based arm to participate in the state-run aluminium producer’s tender for the sale of surplus 30,000 tonnes of metallurgical-grade calcined alumina. Vedanta had emerged as a successful bidder for Nalco’s alumina tenders meant for exports. But the latter refused to allow the UK firm to take the consignment to its SEZ unit and...
As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, average spot alumina price in China has risen by RMB 12 per tonne on Thursday, 20 August 2020.The price now stands at RMB 2314 per tonne after remaining flat at RMB 2302 per tonne for the three days in a row. The prices in all other major markets have also increased today, except South. The prices of alumina in East, Central, and North China markets have climbed by RMB 10 per tonne, RMB 10 per tonne and RMB 20 per tonne to stand at RMB 2300 per tonne, RMB 2310 per tonne, and RMB 2310 per tonne. Alumina-South remains unchanged at RMB 2520 per tonne. Australian alumina FOB price stands USD 6 per tonne higher on Thursday. The price stands at USD 271 per tonne. A00 aluminium ingot price has jumped to RMB 14790 per tonne on Thursday, 20 August 2020. That...
Rusal Aughinish Alumina is the largest alumina refinery in Europe and the largest of the alumina facilities operated by UC RUSAL has declared the rise of pre-tax profits by over 30% to $54.60 million for 2019. The company has been done well following the revoke of US sanctions against its Russian owner. However, revenues dropped to $690.9 million from $757.1 million, having jumped 15% a year earlier. The US sanctions, imposed by the US Department of Treasury on the refinery’s owner the Rusal Group in 2018, abjured in late January 2019. The alumina refinery was also in the news previous year after Ireland lost a state aid appeal over a European Commission ruling that Aughinish Alumina plant received €10 million in illegal tax breaks between 2002 and 2004 through an exemption from excise...
The Indian state-run National Aluminium Company is expected to gain, as Hydro’s Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil will axe down production by 30-45% due to maintenance of the bauxite supply pipeline at Paragominas mine, as per market analysts. Norsk Hydro ASA, among the biggest aluminium producers, stated that it will curtail production at Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil amid extended maintenance on a pipeline transporting bauxite from the Paragominas mine in the Latin American nation. Alumina production at Alunorte, which accounts for about 13% of the global demand, will fall to 35-45% of its full operating capacity during planned maintenance expected to last two months. Vishal Chandak, a Research Analyst at Emkay Global Financial Services, said: “This development may not have an...
According to a Reuters report, China's Henan Shenhuo Coal and Power announced it will secure a thirty six percent (36%) stake in alumina project in the Guangxi region. This will help the company in minimizing its imports of the raw materials. The 3.12 billion yuan ($450 million) first phase of Guangxi Longzhou's alumina plant, which is likely to start production in December, will have a production capacity of million tonnes per year. The construction at the site started in November 2019. Shenhuo, whose affiliate manufactures aluminium in Yunnan next to Guangxi, will not pay for the interest in Guangxi Longzhou Aluminium being transferred from Hangzhou Jinjiang. It will assume investment responsibilities, Reuters report. Shenhuo may raise its stake up to 51% while Hangzhou Jinjiang will...
According to a recent report, Co-owner of Jamalco alumina refinery, Clarendon Alumina Production Limited (CAP), will pay off a large portion of its debt. This will improve its overall equity position in the lay up to the refinery’s planned listing on the stock exchange. The company will secure the funds for paying off the debt from the Government of Jamaica, GOJ. Through CAP, the Government is a partner with Noble Group in the refinery. “CAP, through a loan from the GOJ, will repay debt obligations due to the Noble Group, in the amount of approximately US$136.7 million,” said Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Nigel Clarke in a statement to Parliament this week. “The transactions improve CAP’s equity value,” he said. CAP holds 45 per cent of Jamalco, while the Hong Kong-based Noble Group...
Indonesia’s state aluminium company PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) expects to stop importing alumina by 2022 as it expected to complete the construction of alumina refinery, but the COVID-19 pandemic might cause delays in the planning. The country’s demand for the alumina has been supported by importation from the multiple nations like Australia, Austria, Bahrain, China, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, South Korea, etc. Indonesia’s import of alumina during 2017-18 has been recorded with 667,209 tonnes. In 2017 the alumina import volume was 227,316 tonnes, whereas in 2018 it surged to 439,893 tonnes, rise by 93.51%. The Island nation’s alumina import in 2019 has been recorded with a marginal drop by 0.92%, as the import volume remained at 435,820 tonnes and the revenue...
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska, said on 13 th August’20 in Zvornik that the company "Alumina", regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic, is operating successfully. "The number of workers who worked before the pandemic and now is the same, there were no layoffs, production is slightly lower than planned, but enough that the factory is not at a loss," Viskovic told after talks with the management of Alumina and with the bankruptcy trustee of the Alumina Factory "Birač". Viskovic pointed out that the factory was on the metallurgical program a couple of years ago, and today it is 100% on the non-metallurgical program, and that thanks to the workers, technologists and experts, it was saved from going into scrap metal. "In the process, they changed the production program, adjusted to...
According to a recent report, FYI Resources Limited has received firm commitments from several professional investors to raise up to $2.7 million through a two-tranche placement at 6 cents per share for the use in advancing high purity alumina (HPA) production at its fully integrated HPA project in Western Australia. The placement has been strongly supported by local and international investors as well as several existing major shareholders including Regal Funds Management, which has materially increased its 11.5 per cent stake in FYI Resources. Besides, FYI has welcomed a new cornerstone investor, Ken Hall, which has subscribed to buy $500,000 worth of shares. FYI said the funds would be used in marketing activities, ongoing test work, refinement of production process, and further trial...
As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, average spot alumina price in China has extended its decline by RMB 12 per tonne on Friday, 14 August 2020. The price now stands at RMB 2302 per tonne today. The prices in all other major markets have also declined today, except South. The prices of alumina in East, Central, and North China markets have reduced by RMB 15 per tonne, RMB 15 per tonne and RMB 10 per tonne to stand at RMB 2290 per tonne, RMB 2300 per tonne, and RMB 2290 per tonne. Alumina-South remains unchanged at RMB 2520 per tonne. Alumina (Imported) price fell to RMB 2320 per tonne on Friday, representing a drop of RMB 50 per tonne. The average price is expected to move within a range of RMB 2300-2340 per tonne A00 aluminium ingot price has dropped by RMB 60 per tonne after...
The average alumina spot price in China has recorded a decline of RMB 25 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,314 per tonne, following restraints at RMB 2,339 per tonne during August 6-12, found Shanghai Metals Market on August 13. In the north, the price has decreased by RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 2,300 per tonne, while that in the central and east has plunged by RMB 25 per tonne and RMB 20 per tonne to stand, respectively, at RMB 2,315 per tonne and RMB 2,305 per tonne. In the south, however, the average alumina price has remained unchanged at RMB 2,520 per tonne. The imported alumina price has also registered no change from RMB 2,325 per tonne, but the price of Australian alumina FOB has inched down by US$ 6 per tonne to hover at US$ 265 per tonne. Among other input costs, the price of aluminium...
According to a recent report, Shell Catalysts & Technologies (SC&T) has successfully completed the expansion of its Port Allen, Louisiana plant in the US, to double the production capacity of precipitated alumina powder. The project is part of the SC&T’s strategy to meet the growing demand for precipitated alumina powder in the residue and gasoil hydroprocessing markets. Besides productions, this expansion will allow the Port Allen plant to increase powder supply to its world-scale catalyst plant, located at the Port Allen facility, and also to other Shell catalyst plants globally. The expansion project includes the capacity ramp-up of existing equipment, the addition of several new major pieces of processing equipment, and improving energy-efficient alternatives to reduce fixed and...
Indian Railways initiative for Sambalpur Railway Division to get a Routine Overhaul (ROH) depot near Sarla railway station needs to be accomplished by November 2021. Pradeep Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Sambalpur, East Coast Railway said: “Work on the ROH project began in March this year but had to be stopped due to the lockdown. Subsequently, work resumed on April 27. We have set a target to complete the work by November 2021.” The overhaul depot is being developed over land measuring 1400x56 metres at an estimated cost of INR 90 crore. The Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) are executing the project. Presently, the wagons are routed to a depot in Visakhapatnam for overhauling. The upcoming depot near Sarla station will have the magnitude to maintain 100 wagons...
Premium grade industrial materials are crucial for economical filtration processes. CeramTec’s porous ceramic membrane tubes that are used for cross-flow membrane filtration amalgamates vital properties that support customers with upgraded functionality and eventually save cost on filtration units. The multi-channel tubes made from alumina are designed for nano-, ultra-, and micro-filtration in multiple of industries to separate substances and solids from liquids, including food and beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, electroplating, environmental technology and biotechnology. Concerning the number of channels and length of the tube, the product delivers the maximum performance that technology currently permits. The ceramic multi-channel element as the supporting tube onto which the...
The Supreme Court of India on 7 th August’20 issued contempt notice to the top executives of National Aluminium Company (Nalco), including its executive director (Marketing) R N Mohapatra and CMD Tapan Kumar Chand, on a petition by Vedanta alleging “willful disobedience” of its January judgment that allowed its UK-based arm to participate in the state-run aluminium producer’s tender for the sale of surplus 30,000 MT of metallurgical-grade calcined alumina. A bench led by Chief Justice SA Bobde solicited a response from the top Nalco brass as to why contempt should not be initiated against them for “clear deviation from the requirement recorded in it January 14 judgment,” as alleged by Vedanta. The Supreme Court had permitted Vedanta Resources to bid for Nalco’s alumina tenders meant for...
