AlCircle News Edited By "Debanjali Sengupta"
Debanjali Sengupta is a passionate content writer with 10 years of experience in Business writing, Web Content writing, Blogging, Editing and Research. She is responsible for generating and editing content for AlCircle Newsletter and other online and offline content for enhancing the brand value and its visibility among global users.
Ardagh-Europe signs renewable power deal with BNZ in Portugal for decarbonised metal cans production
Ardagh Metal Packaging-Europe has reportedly inked a virtual power purchase agreement with BNZ in Portugal. According to the terms signed, Ardagh will secure 146 GWh per annum of renewable electricity commencing from 2026 for 12 years, which is expected to help the metal beverage cans-producing company offset about 50 per cent of AMP-Europe’s continental energy consumption. Image Source: Ardagh Metal Packaging Schneider Electric, a leading adviser in corporate renewable energy procurement and carbon management, has played a crucial role in this agreement by helping Ardagh Metal Packaging-Europe in project selection and negotiation. AMP-Europe’s latest renewable energy agreement with BNZ in Portugal follows the solar energy agreement signed earlier this year with Sunnic Lighthouse GmbH....
Flow Aluminum expands its board with a new formal director, Fran Nicklous
Flow Aluminum, a startup firm revolutionising energy storage with aluminium-CO2 battery technology, has appointed Fran Nicklous as a new board of directors member. Nicklous will join the company as a formal board member with full voting rights. Coming from an engineering background with extensive knowledge of renewable energy and expertise in developing innovative battery energy storage systems, Mr Nicklous brings valuable insights into the design of safe and more diverse battery technologies. With the responsibility to supervise advanced safety protocols, resource availability, and cost-efficiency, Nicklous is expected to strengthen the position of Flow Aluminum in the rapidly evolving market. As a board member, Nicklous will work closely with the team to get the necessary insights,...
Hind Aluminium reports an improved Q2 results, with a 44% rise in net sales
Hind Aluminium, an Indian manufacturer of aluminium & alloy conductors and aluminium wire rods destined for a wide range of power transmission and distribution applications, has announced its September quarter (Q2) FY2024-25 results, announcing a surge in net sales and profit after a dip in the previous quarter. Image Source: Hind Aluminium In Q2 FY2025, net sales of Hind Aluminium was INR 0.36 crore (US$42,628.77), up by 44 per cent from INR 0.25 crore (US$29,597.82) in the previous year. However, on a year-on-year calculation, the company’s net sales decreased by 25 per cent from INR 0.48 crore (US$56,840.98). Similarly, net profit also increased over the quarter by 55.7 per cent from INR 2.37 crore (US$280,652.32) to INR 1.05 crore (US$124,339.64), but stood 72.58 per cent down over...
World primary aluminium production recovers in October 2024 to a new high
The world’s primary aluminium production regained momentum in October 2024 after an intermittent decline of 3.19 per cent in the previous month. Owing to the increase across all the major primary aluminium-producing regions, the world’s output reached a new high in October, exceeding all the earlier records. Recovering more than what it lost in September, the world’s primary aluminium production in October even exceeded the record volume of 6.205 million tonnes seen in August. According to the International Aluminium Institute’s (IAI) data, the output volume in October grew by 3.56 per cent M-o-M and 1.27 per cent Y-o-Y, reaching 6.221 million tonnes. In September 2024, the world’s primary aluminium output was 6.007 million tonnes; in October 2023, it stood at 6.143 million tonnes. The...
Alcoa joins World Economic Forum’s First Suppliers Hub as a low-carbon aluminium solution provider
Alcoa Corporation, a name to reckon with in the global aluminium industry, has reportedly joined the World Economic Forum’s First Suppliers Hub, a platform created to bring together the innovative suppliers of materials needed to support the ambition of industrial decarbonisation in the world by 2050. Image Source: Alcoa Corporation The First Movers Coalition (FMC), which is also an initiative by the World Economic Forum in partnership with the United States government, has set a goal that 10 per cent of its members’ annual aluminium procurement volume should meet or exceed the standard of low-carbon primary aluminium determined by the Coalition. The benchmark set by the First Movers Coalition is below 3 tonnes of CO2e emissions per tonne of primary aluminium. To enable the FMC members to...
Austal's success as a shipbuilding leader driven by 25-year partnership with Capral Aluminium
The saga of the Austal-Capral duo dates back over two decades. As a key supplier of aluminium extruded products, Capral's contribution towards the landmark journey of Austal from being a modest fishing vessel manufacturer to Australia's leading shipbuilding company with a workforce of 5,000 from multiple countries across the globe is worth celebrating. United by shared values and a common vision, Capral and Austal have built a strong and enduring partnership over the past 25 years. Image Source: Austal Austal's high-quality commercial vessels primarily owe to Capral for its aluminium sheets, complex extrusions, and value addition to the business. "It's nice to have a supplier where we can share a vision, share values, and build a mutual relationship that benefits both parties," said Brent...
US aluminium scrap recovery grows at a higher rate in Aug’24 in contrast to sluggish primary metal output
The United States’ increased focus on the secondary aluminium industry led to a year-on-year decline in its primary aluminium production for another month but a rise in aluminium recovery from scrap. According to the data from the US Geological Survey, the United States’ primary aluminium production in August decreased 6,000 tonnes or 9.7 per cent year-on-year, while scrap recovery gained 17,000 tonnes or 6.07 per cent. Delving deeper into the data, we find the United States’ primary aluminium production in August stood at 56,000 tonnes against 62,000 tonnes in August 2023 and 57,000 tonnes in July 2024. In line with the decline in monthly production, the United States average daily production in August also slipped over the year as well as month. On a year-on-year basis, the daily output...
Vedanta Aluminium signs 5-year natural gas deal with GAIL in shift to renewable energy
Vedanta's continued endeavour to shift its power sources to renewable energy has led to an agreement with GAIL Gas Limited, a subsidiary of GAIL (India) Limited, for the natural gas supply to Jharsuguda smelter. The transition to natural gas will expectedly become operational from the end of 2025, significantly reducing carbon footprint and minimising CO2 equivalent emissions by 47,292 tonnes annually. Image Source: Vedanta Aluminium This move is a significant part of Vedanta's ongoing journey towards achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. The expedition contains two main strategies – one is increasing renewable energy usage and the other is creating carbon sinks through extensive afforestation. Natural gas supply from GAIL is primarily destined for Vedanta's upcoming 430-kilo tonnes per...
Kobelco Group’s automotive aluminium alloy plate and strip facility bags ASI CoC Certification
Kobelco Automotive Aluminum Rolled Products (China) Co., Ltd, a facility of Kobelco Group, has obtained Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard V2 (2022) Certification from the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative for the production and sale of thin automobile aluminium alloy plate and strip. Image Source: Kobelco As the name suggests, the company specialises in producing alumininium automotive components, such as aluminium alloy plates, sheets, and strips, with an annual aluminium capacity of 100,000 tonnes. The plant has production lines for heat treatment, surface treatment, longitudinal cutting, cross-cutting, and cleaning. This year, in March, the facility located in Tianjin, China, bagged the ASI Performance Standard V3 (2022) Certification . The facility of Kobelco Group has received the ASI...
Alumina production dip at Hydro Alunorte refinery contributes to South America’s Q3 2024 output fall
The decline in South America’s alumina production for two months in a quarter led to a downfall in the total Q3 output. In July and September, South America’s alumina production decreased by 5.36 per cent and 3.83 per cent, respectively, resulting in a Q3 fall of 3.49 per cent from the previous quarter, found the International Aluminium Institute survey. Image Source: Norsk Hydro on LinkedIn In both July and September, South America’s alumina production stood at 1 million tonnes, amounting to 989,000 tonnes and 979,000 tonnes. Only in August did the production volume reach above 1 million tonnes for an intermittent period but edged a year-on-year decline of 1.45 per cent from 1.033 million tonnes. In total, South America’s alumina production through the third quarter of 2024 amounted to...
Hydro’s Rackwitz and Uphusen aluminium plants to house solar photovoltaic rooftops for decarbonised operations
In pursuit of decarbonising aluminium production, Norsk Hydro continues to install onsite solar energy production and energy efficiency measures at its aluminium plants in Germany. Two plants in Rackwitz and one plant in Uphusen, Germany, will have solar photovoltaic rooftops and battery storage systems aimed at operating using locally produced energy. Image Source: Hydro Previously, Hydro installed the same system at its Offenburg extrusion plant and began interim operations. “We are continuously reducing our own emissions and these installations are an efficient way to introduce locally produced, renewable energy. In order to meet the growing demands from customers for products with lower footprint and to further contribute to local societies where we operate, we need to accelerate our...
October 2024: Transition phase to off-season results in decreased billet production in China
China's primary aluminium billet output in October 2024 retreated from its previous month's high as many billet manufacturers reduced their production pace due to several unfavourable factors like high selling prices, lower processing fees, and sluggish downstream demand. Usually, October is a season when the market takes a turn aligned with the year-end goals. Image Source: Made-in-China According to the Shanghai Metals Market survey, China's daily average production of primary aluminium billet in October lost what it gained last month despite having one more operating day. The average daily output dropped 2,000 tonnes M-o-M to 49,000 tonnes per day, resulting in a monthly output of 1.507 million tonnes in October, as against 1.528 million tonnes in September. That recorded a...
In pursuit of sustainability, North America's aluminium firm secures a new advanced recycling line from GEP ECOTECH
North America's increasing reliance on secondary aluminium is driving the domestic companies to advance their recycling processes by investing in new cutting-edge technologies. Such is an instance with North America's one of the largest aluminium companies that has secured a new recycling production line from a specialised waste recycling solutions provider, GEP ECOTECH. Image Source: GEP ECOTECH The new system will process baled scrap aluminium by breaking it down, shredding it, and removing contaminants to prepare the waste material for its final objective - smelting. Besides providing shredding and sorting solutions, the system offers reduced energy consumption and less greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring operational efficiency and environmental sustainability. James, Sales Manager at...
ASI grants Oman Aluminium Rolling Company with the Performance Standard V3 Certification
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has presented the Performance Standard V3 (2022) Certification to Oman Aluminium Rolling Company SPC for manufacturing and supplying aluminium coils at the Sohar facility, Sultanate of Oman. The facility, having an annual capacity of 140,000 tonnes of multi-purpose aluminium coils, produces alloy hot bend coils and finished coils for applications in various industries, including building and construction, transportation, packaging, consumer durables, energy and HVAC. Launched in May 2022, the ASI Performance Standard V3 (2022) certification defines 11 principles and 62 criteria under three sustainability pillars – Environment, Social, and Governance, aimed at addressing sustainability issues in the aluminium value chain. Oman Aluminium Rolling...
EGA drives national economy with 1.3% contribution to UAE’s GDP, asserts CEO
Abdulnasser Ibrahim Saif bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), highlighted in his conversation with the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) plays a crucial role in supporting the national economy. As a key driver of the domestic aluminium sector, EGA supports thousands of jobs and contributes billions to the United Arab Emirates' economy. Image Source: EGA Mr Saif bin Kalban mentioned that EGA's direct, indirect, and induced economic contribution was over $6.5 billion in 2023, supporting more than 57 thousand jobs and accounting for about 1.3 per cent of GDP. He also boasted that EGA is committed to redirecting its earnings to the local economy by purchasing local goods and services. On average, the company annually redirects...
NALCO, Hindalco, Vedanta experience share surges following China’s decision to revoke export tax rebates: Know why?
China’s decision to revoke tax rebates on aluminium has caused two opposite reactions in the global market. On the one hand, it has brought a frown to global downstream producers and end-user manufacturers in anticipation of a limited supply of metal and higher prices; on the other, it has brought hope for improved margins among primary aluminium producers due to global price hikes. On this note, some of the primary aluminium giants in India have experienced a notable surge in their shares. Companies like NALCO, Hindalco, and Vedanta reported that their shares raised as much as 7 per cent on Monday, November 18, following China’s announcement of its decision on Friday , November 15. Even a Malaysia-based aluminium company, Press Metal, gained 7.5 per cent to RM4.73, marking its highest...
America Recycles Day – celebrating decades-long recycling journey, with aluminium in the spotlight
November 15 of each year is observed as America Recycles Day – a day dedicated to spreading the message of how recycling can help all of us contribute towards the environment in the littlest way possible by reducing waste, saving energy, and conserving precious resources. And now that individuals as well as industries are increasingly prioritising sustainability, recycling plays a crucial role. Essentially, the aluminium industry in America has notably made a conscious shift to recycling and using recycled, low-carbon aluminium. According to the Aluminum Association, 75 per cent of aluminium is recycled in the United States of America. Some industries like automotive and building recycle more than 90 per cent. Today, more than 80 per cent of US production is in making recycled/secondary...
China to cancel aluminium export tax rebate from December 1, will this lead to trade negotiations with the US?
On Friday, November 15, China’s finance ministry declared its plan to reduce or cancel export tax concessions for a wide range of commodities, including aluminium. As per the report, the measure will be effective from December 1, 2024. Image Source: Made-in-China For certain products like refined oil, photovoltaics, batteries, and non-metallic items, China has decided to reduce tax rebates from 13 to 9 per cent, while for aluminium and copper products, the country will cancel the concession. Following the news, aluminium prices soared in China as tax rebates would cover more than 5 million tonnes of metal exports worth RMB 17.7 billion. Analysts suspect that with this measure coming into effect, aluminium selling prices will increase further. Today, as of November 15, the metal price has...
