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...
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...
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Alcoa’s mining and refining facilities in Western Australia have been certified against Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s (ASI) Performance Standard. This brings the company’s total number of certified facilities to nine. The certifications include Huntly Mine, Willowdale Mine, Kwinana Refinery, Pinjarra Refinery and Wagerup Refinery, and Port areas of Kwinana and Bunbury. “This recognition validates the strong commitment we have to responsible and sustainable production and to working with our stakeholders to deliver long-term value,” said Michelle O’Neill, Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer. “It is additional evidence of our commitment to advance sustainably, one of our strategic priorities and a key differentiator for our future.” The ASI Certification...
Altech Chemicals Limited in its recent media release has updated the current status of the construction activities of its high purity alumina plant site in Johor, Malaysia. The company says the construction of the site’s electrical substation, which started in September 2019, is progressing ahead of schedule. Designed in accordance with the requirements of the local electricity service provider TNB (Tenaga Nasional Berhad), the largest electricity utility in Malaysia, the substation has already obtained required approvals for the structural, mechanical, and electrical elements of the facility. Substation construction is expected to be completed by May 2020. Post-construction, the substation will be turned over to TNB for inspection by its project team ahead of switchgear installation to...
CIMIC Group subsidiary UGL has reportedly bagged contracts worth A$180 million to provide services for maintenance, shutdowns, and sustaining capital projects to its mining clients in Western Australia. The services to be provided by UGL will include mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, other access services. The company is set to deliver these services to Alcoa at the Wagerup and Pinjarra sites in West Australia’s Peel region. Besides, it will deliver maintenance, shutdown, and project services for multiple clients within the Bowen Basin of Queensland. CIMIC Group CEO Michael Wright said: “These contract awards demonstrate UGL’s position as a market leader in the Australian mining industry for the delivery of maintenance and mechanical, electrical and instrumentation access...
According to a recent report, Indonesian state-owned construction firm Pembangunan Perumahan (PP) and China Aluminium International Engineering Corporation Limited (CHALIECO) have signed a contract worth US$ 695 million to build an alumina refinery. As per the report, the refinery is to be constructed at Mempawah in West Kalimantan, as Indonesia moves to add value to its mineral products and create a domestic mining industry value chain. On January 11 in Beijing, the contract was signed with the smelter’s owner, Borneo Alumina Indonesia (BAI). The construction of the refinery, which began in December 2019, is expected to be completed by 2022. Initially, the construction work was expected to start in late 2018 and end in 2021. Borneo Alumina Indonesia (BAI) is a joint venture between the...
FYI Resources Ltd announced that the Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) has approved Mining Proposal and associated Mine Closure plan for its Cadoux Kaolin Project. The approval includes the planned mining, processing, site infrastructure, waste facilities and hauls roads. FYI Resources Managing Director Roland Hill said: “With this important milestone now achieved and only minor regulatory approvals required prior to commencing development and mining activities, FYI will continue progressing its high purity alumina (HPA) strategy in anticipation of arranging full project funding and a formal decision to mine from the FYI Board.” DMIRS’s approval paves the way for the company’s high purity alumina (HPA) alumina project development, the...
According to a recent report, Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC), Nagpur has invented a low-cost process of producing 3N purity alumina (99.9%) at lab scale. The focus is on preparing the alpha phase of 3N pure nano-alumina at lowermost possible temperature. High purity nano-alumina finds extensive applications in translucent tubes for high-pressure sodium lamps, single crystal materials, high-strength ceramic tools and abrasives for magnetic tape, among others. <iframe width="550" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZBYZ6BQmf0M" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Sponsored by Department of Science and Technology (DST) New Delhi, the project found...
Rio Tinto’s alumina production for the fourth quarter of 2019 was one per cent higher than the fourth quarter of 2018. On a quarter-on-quarter comparison, output registered an increase of 11 per cent to 2 million tonnes. “Our share of production from the Pacific refineries was 17% higher than the third quarter, ramping up after completion of major maintenance activities. Yarwun achieved a production record for the fourth quarter. For the full year, alumina production totalled 7.7 million tonnes, down 3 per cent, due to major maintenance activities at the Pacific refineries including a planned five-year maintenance shutdown to service the cogeneration plant at Yarwun. Rio Tinto’s expected share of alumina production in 2020 is between 7.8 to 8.2 million tonnes.
According to Shanghai Metals Market survey, China in December 2019 produced 5.87 million tonnes of alumina, with metallurgical-grade materials accounting for 5.62 million tonnes. With this, the country’s total alumina production in 2019 came in at 70.42 million tonnes, down 2.47 per cent from the year earlier. Last month, the production of metallurgical-grade alumina averaged 181,000 tonnes per day, down 9.01 per cent year on year and 0.26 per cent month on month as Luoyang Wanji cuts its annual operation capacity to 800,000 tonnes. Also, the alumina refineries that reduced or suspended output in November due to tight bauxite supply and environmental woes did not recover in December, resulting in weaker production. Jingxi Tiangui project, on the other hand, fails to see production ramp up...
South32, on Thursday, January 15, announced a quarter-on-quarter rise of 1 per cent in its alumina production for the second quarter ended on December 31, 2019. From 1.30 million tonnes in the first quarter, the company’s alumina output rose to 1.32 million tonnes in the second quarter. But during the same period last year, South32 had produced 1.38 million tonnes of the ore, meaning a year-on-year drop of 4 per cent in Q2 FY20. However, the total production in the first half of FY20 stood higher by 3.65 per cent amounting to 2.63 million tonnes, compared with 2.54 million tonnes in H1FY19. This growth, according to South32, is attributed to record year-to-date production at Brazil Alumina and also higher rates of calciner availability at Worsley Alumina. Graham Kerr, South32 CEO said,...
Indonesia stands aligned with the top bauxite production nations and still, its alumina production and export have not been considered at a high level. But in recent years it has shown some gradual rise in alumina exports (2016-20). The Alumina export of Indonesia has shown a growth of 96.29% when compared between 2019 and 2016 (2019 – 1.35 million tonnes and 2016 - .05 million tonnes). The country had planned for 178 smelters and out of it only 25 are commissioned/operation stage, 37 smelters are at various stages of construction and the rest are at F/S and environmental impact assessments. The major issue was the lack of support from the GOI but in recent times the ban on the export of raw bauxite has forced to deliver alumina production locally. In 2016 the alumina export was 0.05...
The expected import for alumina has shown de-growth of 6% for South Africa which is accounted to 2.42 million tonnes for 2020, in comparison to 2.58 million tonnes in 2019. South Africa is not a major producer of aluminium in the African region. Guinea, Mozambique and Ghana are the leading producers of aluminium in this region. South Africa, meanwhile, does not mine bauxite nor refine alumina. The South African aluminium industry has undergone a contraction in terms of both value and volume and has raised the value of USD 1.96 billion as in 2018. The volume of alumina import has shown some significant upward trend from 2016-18 (2016 – 2.52 million tonnes, 2017 – 2.78 million tonnes and 2018 – 2.84 million tonnes). There has been a consecutive growth of 10.31% in 2017 compared to 2016 and...
The Odisha High court decision that allowed Vedanta to take part in the tenders for the sale of its surplus alumina was challenged by Nalco. During the time, the lower court had welcomed Vedanta’s argument that it was competent to take part in the tenders as it operated from an export-oriented zone. Vedanta Ltd. was allowed by the Supreme Court of India to bid for alumina sale tenders by state-run National Aluminium Company, delivering some relief to Anil Agarwal’s aluminium unit that is seeking to boost supplies of the raw material. Vedanta’s foreign units can bid for Nalco’s alumina tenders meant for exports and if Vedanta’s bid is affluent, the company can use the raw material at its Jharsuguda plant in the eastern state of Odisha after picking it up from Visakhapatnam port as...
The average spot alumina price stands at RMB 2454 per tonne on Monday, 13 January 2020, an increase of RMB 8 per tonne or 0.33 per cent from RMB 2446 per tonne on January 10. The alumina prices in China have increased in all major markets, except South. The average prices of Alumina-East and Alumina-Central have risen by RMB 10 per tonne each to stand at RMB 2450 per tonne and RMB 2470 per tonne. Their average prices are expected to range at RMB 2430-2470 per tonne and RMB 2460-2480 per tonne. The price in Central stands at RMB 2465 per tonne, up RMB 5 per tonne. South China markets remain unchanged at RMB 2520 per tonne. After a continuous rise for the past three days in a row, A00 aluminium ingot price has declined by RMB 130 per tonne from its earlier price to RMB14400 per tonne on...
Rahul Sharma, CEO of Vedanta’s Alumina Business, has received an award for ‘Business Icon of the Year’ from one of the leading newspapers in Odisha called Samaya. The award is in recognition of Mr Sharma’s enormous contribution towards India’s metals and mining industry and for his crucial role in the development of the sector through business excellence. He is also a key proponent of sustainable mining and exploration and has been instrumental in driving India’s metals and mineral policy and leading development of policy frameworks through the adoption of global best practices. Rahul Sharma leads the alumina business for Vedanta, providing strategic guidance to the aluminium business and introducing best-in-class operational practices to scale-up Vedanta’s world-class alumina refinery in...
The apex body to clear investment projects in Odisha, The High-Level Clearance Authority (HLCA), has approved a new Greenfield alumina refinery unit, proposed by Aditya Birla Group-owned Hindalco Industries. The estimated cost of the project is INR 8,000 crore and is proposed to come up at Kansariguda near Rayagada in Odisha, with a predicted volume of 2 million tonnes/annum. The project is expected to create employment for 4,250 people. Hindalco will depend on the Odisha government on raw material for catering to the refinery. Bauxite from any of the leases of Odisha Mining Corporation is likely to feed the planned and approved refinery project of Hindalco. This project is scheduled to go into its mainstream production in 4 to 5 years. The alumina refining unit is projected at the...
After remaining restrained for a week at RMB 2,437 per tonne, the average alumina spot price has recorded an increase today, on January 10, of RMB 9 per tonne to RMB 2,446 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. The alumina price in the east, central, and north has climbed up by RMB 10 per tonne to RMB 2,440 per tonne and RMB 2,460 per tonne respectively, while that in the south has remained unchanged at RMB 2,520 per tonne. The Australian alumina FOB price has dropped, on the other hand, by RMB 2 per tonne to RMB 278 per tonne. On the rise of alumina spot price, the A00 aluminium ingot price has registered a growth as well of RMB 60 per tonne to RMB 14,530 per tonne, marking the third rise in a row, according to SMM. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 14,510 per tonne...
The giant in metals and mining, Vedanta Ltd has planned a capital expenditure of $250-300 million in the next fiscal on the ramp-up of its Lanjigarh alumina refinery in Odisha. Vedanta, in an astonishing manner, has proposed to expand the capacity of the refinery to 6 mtpa. The refinery's present gridlock capacity is 2 mtpa. The company aims to recover the invested sum within two years by banking on locally sourced bauxite to trim logistics costs. Arun Kumar, Chief Financial Officer of Vedanta Ltd at the company's recent results conference said “Every tonne of aluminium produced with the Odisha sourced bauxite which can be used in expanding refinery capacity, will give us Ebitda advantage of $400 per tonne. So, if we can cover 50 per cent or 60 per cent of our requirement, then to that...
Altech Chemicals Limited has received applications from existing shareholders for $2.8 million of new shares under the Share Purchase Plan (SPP). The new shares are expected to be allotted on Wednesday 8 January 2020 at an offer price of $0.0975 per share. Altech has also updated the construction work at high purity alumina (HPA) plant site continues as scheduled. Altech Managing Director Mr Iggy Tan said, “The Company is extremely pleased with the number of applications for new shares that it received from shareholders under the SPP. In excess of 300 shareholders participated, which is an excellent outcome – especially considering the timing of the SPP just prior to the Christmas/New Year period. Work at the Company’s Malaysian high purity alumina (HPA) plant site continues, with...
