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...
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...
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In March 2026, China's import of alumina, which is the essential raw material for aluminium production, reached a two-year high. The surge is mainly owed to the shipments, which were originally planned to reach the Middle East smelters, but changed the route to the world's largest producer. As per the report shared by Bloomberg, the Persian Gulf conflict has nudged the redirection of alumina to China, which results in increased domestic surplus but also bolsters strong smelting margins. Higher aluminium production in China The rerouting of alumina into China has increased the country's aluminium production and the exports are also expected to follow the trend. This, however, offers much-needed relief to producers who are grappling with rising domestic inventories and a slowing economy....
South32 is suing Siemens over a turbine failure at its Worsley alumina operation in Western Australia, claiming a software flaw led to the generator being destroyed. The case goes back to an incident in October 2015, when a steam turbine generator at the site overheated during operation. According to South32, the damage was severe enough that the unit was “effectively destroyed.” At the centre of the dispute is a programmable logic controller (PLC) tied to the generator. South32 says a key piece of code was missing, something that should have triggered a shutdown by activating the circuit breaker before temperatures got out of control. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026" “That code, had it been included and...
Rio Tinto has started a new alumina conveyor system at its BC Works smelter in Kitimat, Canada. The 1.1-kilometre conveyor will move about 800,000 tonnes of alumina each year, helping ensure a steady supply of this key raw material for aluminium production. The system is designed to run for 50 years and replace older infrastructure that has been in use since the 1960s. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 " The new setup also improves environmental performance. It uses a sealed pipe design, which helps reduce dust and material loss. The company said this has cut particulate emissions by about 40 per cent. The design also reduces transfer points and uses dust collection systems. Also read: Runaya reports...
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced about USD 5.4 million in funding for five projects to support a domestic supply of gallium, a key material used in defence and semiconductors. The US is currently fully dependent on imports for gallium and has not produced it domestically since 1987. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 " China controls about 98 per cent of global production and has introduced export restrictions in recent years, including a ban on exports to the US in December 2024. These limits were later eased for about one year, starting in November 2025. The funding comes under the Technology for Recovery and Advanced Critical-mineral Extraction Gallium (TRACE-Ga) programme, which focuses...
China Aluminum International Engineering Corporation (Chalieco) has announced that it has signed an updated EPC contract for a 1 million tonnes per year alumina project in Indonesia with PT Inalum. The project has now been split into two parts. The alumina plant was completed on February 11. The second part includes the tailings system. It started on March 1 and is expected to continue until June 30, 2027. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 " The company said that if the project progresses as planned, it could support its financial performance. However, it also noted that there are several risks during execution and said it will manage these risks and provide updates when needed. Chalieco is expanding its...
In 2025, the US alumina story begins with rising imports-but it quickly reveals a system under strain. US alumina imports surged to 1.77 million tonnes in 2025, up 32 per cent from 1.34 million tonnes in 2024, reversing a marginal 1 per cent dip from 1.36 million tonnes in 2023. It reads like a rebound-but is it really a recovery story, or does it signal a deeper structural shift? The movement through the year adds intrigue. Alumina imports rose consistently through the first three quarters of 2025 before reversing sharply in the final quarter. Volumes reached 439,000 tonnes in Q1, increasing to 466,000 tonnes in Q2, up 6 per cent quarter on quarter, and climbed further to 506,000 tonnes in Q3, marking an 8 per cent rise. However, this upward trajectory broke in Q4, with imports falling...
Alcoa has pushed back against concerns over rising mercury emissions at its Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia, even as environmental groups move to challenge its operating licence. The refinery is located about 120 km south of Perth in the Jarrah forest region and it has come under scrutiny after recent data showed a steady increase in mercury emissions in recent years. Emissions reached around 400 kilograms in 2025, nearly double the levels which were recorded in 2022. The Conservation Council of Western Australia has formally opposed the state’s decision to approve a revised licence for the facility, arguing that the environmental and public health risks linked to the increase have not been fully addressed. CCWA executive director Matt Roberts said, “It seems Alcoa has seen...
Runaya Metsource, an Indian sustainable manufacturing company that specialises in resource recovery and green aluminium production, which is by Vedanta, on Thursday announced its achievement in developing green, spherical gas-atomised aluminium powder at its facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The project has been initiated in collaboration with Eckart, a firm that develops, produces and distributes metallic effects and pearlescent pigments in powder. Currently, the facility is deemed to produce aluminium powder with the focus of fostering a sustainable and integrated value chain. With this project, the firm aims to cut down on imports and then further boost different industrial sectors like aerospace, solar energy, catalysts and effect pigments. The first announcement Tracing back to January...
TRUNNANO has launched a surface-modified spherical alumina powder, marking progress in functional materials used across aluminium-related thermal management applications in electronics. A KH570 silane coupling agent is used by the product for surface treatment and is designed to be used in high-performance thermal fillers with applications like thermal interface materials, thermally conductive potting compounds, conductive plastics and copper-clad laminates to support high demands for efficient heat dissipation in electronic components. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 " Spherical alumina is also used widely in such applications due to high thermal conductivity, high packing density and low abrasion,...
RUSAL, one of the world's largest aluminium producers, has implemented a proprietary neural network-based technology for controlling aluminium hydroxide particle fractions. The technology improves the quality of alumina, which in turn enhances the quality of the aluminium produced from it and reduces energy consumption during electrolysis. Must read: Key industry individuals share their thoughts on the trending topics Decomposition is a key stage in the multi-step process of producing alumina (aluminium oxide) from bauxite ore, as the quality of the decomposition intermediate directly affects the quality of the final alumina and the aluminium smelted from it. In the decomposition battery, the aluminate-alkaline solution derived from bauxite processing is decomposed, precipitating...
Following the strike of Iran on two major aluminium facilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, escalating the US-Israel-Iran conflict, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is now moving to sell a large volume of alumina, which is deemed the key raw material required for producing aluminium. This has been informed by the people who are familiar with the matter for the strike on a smelter which runs on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. According to the recent report of Bloomberg, this week, EGA has offered to sell many of its alumina cargoes, especially for the shipments which are planned to move out between April and June. These potential sales came up after the recent attacks on Saturday caused “significant” damage to its Al Taweelah smelter, which is one of the largest in the world....
The Aughinish Alumina refinery in Ireland has returned to profit due to the latest alumina price hikes. Its revenue rose sharply. This is the largest alumina refinery in Europe. It is operated by Limerick Alumina Refinery Ltd. (LARL). It is located in the Shannon Estuary. It has witnessed a sharp increase in revenue in 2024. The newly filed accounts for CY 2024 show that the company has recorded a profit of USD 119.36 million before tax. This is a remarkable turnaround for the company, as it went to a loss of USD 113.64 million in 2023. The swing shows an improvement of around USD 233 million year-on-year. The board of directors explained that the profits returned “primarily due to higher alumina market prices”. The refinery’s revenue increased by 50 per cent from 2023 to 2024. It was USD...
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) reported its highest ever performance in FY26, setting a record in production and sales across major segments, according to an exchange filing. The company recorded excavation of 7.701 million tonnes of bauxite and transported around 7.707 million tonnes, which is a 6.13 per cent year-on-year increase. Alumina hydrate production stood at 2.3 million tonnes, while calcined alumina output rose 11.16 per cent year-on-year to 2.275 million tonnes. Aluminium production remained steady, with output at 472,000 tonnes. NALCO also reported its highest-ever net power generation at 6,953 million units, alongside coal production of 4 million tonnes. On the sales side, alumina sales rose 30.74 per cent year-on-year to 1.446 million tonnes, marking the...
Indonesia’s bauxite, alumina and aluminium sectors are growing, but there are gaps between mining, refining and smelting. The United States Geological Survey data of 2026 shows Indonesia’s alumina production at about 1.2 million tonnes in 2024, rising to 1.5 million tonnes in 2025. Bauxite production is estimated at 9.9 million tonnes in 2024 and 10 million tonnes in 2025. Bauxite reserves are about 2.9 billion tonnes. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 " At the same time, planned capacity expansion is much larger. Alumina capacity could increase from about 9 million tonnes to 29.8 million tonnes, while aluminium production could rise from 1.13 million tonnes to 14.9 million tonnes if all projects are...
Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin has expressed concern over reports that alumina produced at the Aughinish plant in Co Limerick may be entering supply chains connected to Russian aluminium production. An investigation by The Irish Times, conducted with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, indicated that alumina shipments from the facility are supplied to smelters in Russia, where the material is processed into aluminium and later traded through intermediaries. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 " The development has drawn attention to Ireland’s earlier position of supporting exemptions for the Aughinish Alumina facility from sanctions, given its role in the European industrial supply...
At a time when aluminium prices are climbing sharply, alumina - the very raw material that feeds it - is barely moving. This unusual split raises a simple question: why is the input material weakening while the output strengthens? The answer lies in a mix of supply, expansion, demand shifts, and geopolitical shocks that are pulling the two markets apart. The divergence has been clearly visible since late 2025, with both commodities moving in opposite directions and creating an imbalance across the value chain. Alumina price opened 2026 at USD 304 per tonne and briefly touched USD 309.14 in early January, but failed to sustain momentum. Prices stayed confined to a narrow range through the month before softening. By mid-March, they had dropped to USD 300.14 per tonne and eventually settled...
Ducon Technologies, which is also known as Ducon, a leading technology company engaged in the engineering, supply, and erection of turn-key projects, shared the outlook for its alumina handling projects segment. The segment is deemed to be driven by strong fundamentals of both the global and domestic industry. The alumina industry is deemed to have a sustained growth, with the global consumption projected to reach 162 million tonnes by 2035. The increased production is due to the increased demand for lightweight aluminium in the automotive and aerospace sectors. Additionally, the rising demand for High-purity alumina (HPA) in the growing sectors like electronics, LEDs, and lithium-ion batteries is also nudging the production. The recent geopolitical crisis has raised the vitality of...
Inalum, the state miner of Indonesia, has urged the government to halt approvals for any upcoming projects of alumina refineries and aluminium smelters, citing the condition of the existing project pipeline as the cause, which risks oversupplying the market and putting pressure on prices. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain Cause and effect of pipeline projects According to Inalum, rapid capacity expansion and excess supply could later lead to a squeeze price scenario. At present, Indonesia’s alumina output capacity stands at 9 million annually and primary aluminium at 1.13 million tonnes per year. By approving the pipeline initiatives, the alumina capacity would climb to 29.8 million tonnes while...
