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.
Continued W-o-W fall in primary aluminium inventories lifts A00 aluminium ingot price afters three days of decline
The social inventories of primary aluminium have once again recorded a week-on-week decline, as of Thursday, November 14, found Shanghai Metals Market, as stocks in Nanhai continued to fall sharply. SMM data shows the primary aluminium stocks across eight major consumption areas, including SHFE warrants, have decreased by 19,000 tonnes from a week ago to stand at 834,000 tonnes. On the last Thursday, November 7, the inventories were at 853,000 tonnes after declining by 17,000 tonnes over the week. This indicates that the fall in inventories has grown this week by 2,000 tonnes. The stocks in Nanhai have seen a drop of 16,000 tonnes on November 14 to stand at 263,000 tonnes and that in Gongyi and Chongqing have decreased by 5,000 tonnes to 53,000 tonnes and 21,000 tonnes. In Wuxi, however,...
Economy slowdown in India lowers aluminium demand by 6% in Q2 2019: Satish Pai
In a recent interview with The Economic Times, Satish Pai, the managing director of Hindalco, pointed out that the economy slowdown in India impacted domestic businesses, as a result of which, aluminium demand fell 6 per cent in the second quarter, affecting Hindalco’s business. Mr Pai also said the aluminium demand, which he expected to grow by 2 per cent to 3 per cent, remained low throughout the construction and infrastructure, and the automobile sector. According to him, Hindalco sell about 328,000 tonnes of extrusions in a quarter, of which 5 per cent accounts for the auto sector, 40 per cent for the electrical sector, 10 per cent to 15 per cent for the transportation sector, and another 20 per cent for packaging. What fears him is that despite the downfall in aluminium demand in the...
China approves funding for first lot of Phase One of Sinohydro Projects in Ghana
According to a recent report, China has approved the funding of the first lot of Phase One of the Sinohydro projects in Ghana, as per the agreement signed between China and Ghana in 2018. According to the agreement, China will have access to sites to mine bauxite in Ghana in exchange of development assistance from Ghana. According to Ghana’s Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the projects under the agreement had been grouped in lots, and their review and approval were ongoing. “Major progress had been made, with the governments of China and Ghana determined to ensure the success of the ‘bauxite for development’ barter deal, which would see the leveraging of a fraction of Ghana’s bauxite to undertake a massive overhaul of her infrastructural, industrial and agricultural base,” he said....
Tonstad wind farm to commence operation early 2019 to fuel aluminium production in Norway
The 208MW Tonstad wind farm project on the eastern side of Lake Sirdal, in Sirdal and Flekkefjord municipalities, in Southern Norway, is reportedly under construction. While the installation of the turbines has already started, fourteen are erected so far and six among them are electrified, which are now producing and delivering electricity to the grid as well. The 208MW Tonstad wind farm is comprised of 51 SWT-DD-142 onshore wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa, mounted on 129m-high tubular steel towers. Designed to operate between 50Hz and 60Hz frequencies in low-wind onshore locations, each turbine of the Tonstad wind farm will have a rated capacity to produce up to 4.1MW. The report states Hydro Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Norsk Hydro, will offtake the entire electricity output...
Novelis expects Aleris acquisition deal to close by early next year
According to a recent report, Hindalco’s US-based subsidiary Novelis is expected to close the deal of the acquisition of Aleris Corporation by January 21, 2020. But currently the company is facing an anti-trust lawsuit in the US over its proposed $2.58 billion purchase of Aleris. The lawsuit was filed by the US Justice Department because of the concern over higher prices of aluminium sheet used for making cars. In the lawsuit, the justice department had described Aleris as an aggressive competitor and said the deal would give Novelis up to 60 per cent of the projected domestic capacity. However, Novelis argued that the justice department had ignored the competition from steel automotive body sheet. Currently, negotiations between Novelis and the US justice department hinge on the rolling...
China’s primary aluminium production in October declined 3.82% YoY, despite a rise in operation capacity
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the production of primary aluminium in China came in at 2.995 million tonnes in October after declining year-on-year by 3.82 per cent. With this, the total output in the first ten months stood at 29.45 million tonnes, down 2.27 per cent from the same period last year. SMM believes the production cuts due to accidents in August-September affected China’s primary aluminium output and capacity in October. The domestic capacity in operation, however, rose to 35.39 million tonnes by the end of October, up 340,000 tonnes from the previous month. But the actual production it generated remained 119,000 tonnes lower year-on-year. The slower pace of capacity recovery and new capacity commissioning could be one of the reasons for the slowdown in primary aluminium...
“Saudi Arabia is the standout. There is a state-backed vision to diversify from the oil and gas sector into other industries, including the minerals sector,” Dr. Alessio Scarsella – Director, Bauxite and Alumina Technology, Outotec & Antti Koulumies – Vice President, Aluminium Business Line
Outotec develops and delivers industry benchmark technologies and life-cycle services for its customers in the mining, metal, energy, and chemical sector, helping them sustainably improve their profitability. AlCircle spoke to Dr. Alessio Scarsella – Director, Bauxite and Alumina Technology, and Antti Koulumies – Vice President, Aluminium Business Line, Outotec for its new E-magazine on " Aluminium Middle East - Focus 2020 ". Dr. Alessio Scarsella is of the opinion that access to cheap energy and petroleum coke has driven the aluminium business in the Gulf countries, while Antti Koulumies has pointed out that the Middle East countries are increasingly exploring the upstream aluminium market. To know more what they have shared about the Middle East aluminium market and its future...
China’s daily average alumina production in October rose 0.63% M-o-M
Shanghai Metals Market survey found China’s alumina output in October stood at 5.86 million tonnes, with metallurgical-grade materials accounting for 5.61 million tonnes. This brings the total alumina production in the first ten months in China to 57.6 million tonnes, down 0.95 per cent from the same period last year. The daily average production of metallurgical-grade alumina in October stood at 181,000 tonnes, up 0.63 per cent from 179,859 tonnes in September. This rise could be attributed to SPIC’s project recovery from technical upgrading in Shanxi. On the other hand, the year-on-year decline in China’s total alumina production in the first ten months could be because of the reversal of gains in alumina prices that restrained Xinfa’s refinery in Jiaokou and East Hope’s plants in...
A00 aluminium ingot and aluminium alloy prices extend decline on slower demands
Despite a decline in social inventories of primary aluminium on Thursday, November 11, the A00 aluminium ingot price has shown no sign of rise but dropped by RMB 190 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,910 per tonne, as of November 12, found Shanghai Metals Market. With this second consecutive downfall, the A00 aluminium ingot price today is hovering lesser by RMB 60 per tonne from the corresponding period last month, learned SMM data. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 13,890 per tonne and RMB 13,930 per tonne, while the spot contract to be traded at a premium price of RMB 160-120 per tonne. Among the major Chinese markets, Gongyi has seen the highest decline in the ingot price by RMB 190 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,750 per tonne, as of November 12, followed by Foshan,...
Nespresso unveils RE:CYCLE made from recycled aluminium coffee capsules
According to a recent report, Nespresso, at its boutique at Doha Festival City, has unveiled the recycling bike RE:CYCLE, which the Swiss company developed from recycled aluminium coffee capsules in partnership with Swedish lifestyle bike brand Vélosophy. The launch ceremony was attended by Ashraf Abu Issa, Chairman of Abu Issa Holding Group; Fawaz Idrissi, Senior Vice-President of Abu Issa Holding, Edgar Dorig Ambassador of Switzerland to Qatar; and Iyad Sabarini, General Manager of High Trading International, the exclusive distributor of Nespresso and a group of media representative and lovers of the Swiss brand. The bike, made from 300 espressos each , took about two years of development. It is expected to set an example for the recycling potential of billions of single-use coffee pods...
SALCO’s aluminium production to reach 300,000 tonnes in the first phase
According to a recent report, the aluminium capacity in the first phase of production at South Aluminium Company (SALCO) is likely to reach 300,000 tonnes. SALCO is located in the city of Lemerd in the southern tip of the Fars province and near the Persian Gulf. The smelter, creating 1200 direct jobs, plans to produce 1 million tonnes of aluminium annually once reached full capacity, said the report. The required investment for the first phase of the project was more than $1 billion, which was financed by five Iranian banks and also contributed by China Non-ferrous Metal Industry's Foreign Engineering and Construction Co. (NFC). Besides, IMIDRO, Iran’s largest holding in mining and metals sector, and Ghadir Investment Company have funded the project. Iran has been lagging in the...
Aluminium tubes and pipes exports from Denmark to see a 5% drop in 2019; Germany to be the leading importer
The global export-import data estimates that the aluminium tubes and pipes exports from Denmark are likely to see a drop this year by 5.2 per cent to come in at 17,006 tonnes. Last year, the exports remained flat at 17,940 tonnes, as compared with 17,973 tonnes in 2017. However, the country’s export volume in 2016 was much lesser at 6,745 tonnes, meaning the amount of export in 2017 saw a sweeping growth of 166 per cent. {newsStudioGallery} Germany is expected to be the leading destination of Denmark’s aluminium tubes and pipes exports, securing an estimated amount of 3,497 tonnes at US$ 13 million. The Czech Republic and France are likely to follow Germany, importing 3,303 tonnes at US$ 15 million and 2,810 tonnes at US$10 million, respectively. In tandem with the estimated decline in...
China issues third batch of aluminium scrap import quotas for Q4 2019
According to a report from Shanghai Metals Market, China last week issued a fresh batch of metal scrap import quotas for the fourth quarter of 2019, reducing the permissible amount to 13,770 tonnes of newly restricted high-grade aluminium scrap. Together with the previous batches of quotas which allowed the imports of 77,875 tonnes of 7602000090 aluminium scrap into the Chinese market, the amount permitted now comes to 91,645 tonnes in total for the fourth quarter. This brings the permissible amount significantly down from 274,955 tonnes in the third-quarter quotas, SMM calculated based on the list released by the Solid Waste and Chemical Management Centre. The decline came in line with market expectations that Chinese authorities would further intensify waste import restrictions in the...
First Capesize vessel sails from GAC to transport 173,000 tonnes of bauxite ore
Emirates Global Aluminium, on Thursday, November 10, reportedly announced that the first Capsize vessel sailed from its bauxite mining subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation in the Republic of Guinea. Operated by shipping line Berge Bulk, the vessel, the MV Berge Rosa, is bound for a customer in India loaded with 173,000 tonnes of bauxite ore. Bauxite exports from GAC began in August, but so far used smaller vessels. Last year, Emirates Global Aluminium had signed a long-term logistics agreement with Louis Dreyfus Ports Limited and Abu Dhabi Ports Company to develop a barging and transhipment service in deeper waters offshore Kamsar, so to be able to transfer bauxite to Capesize vessels for ocean shipping. Abdulla Kalban, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: “Using...
Primary aluminium production ramp-up in GCC likely to bolster its export market years ahead
After China, GCC (Gulf Corporation Council) or the Gulf countries are substantially growing in primary aluminium production. In 2017, the total primary aluminium production volume in the Gulf region was 5.14 million tonnes, which in 2018 grew by 5 per cent to 5.4 million tonnes. According to the Gulf Aluminium Council (GAC) estimation, the output is likely to increase further to 5.7 million tonnes by 2019. The growing demand for aluminium across the world is the primary driving force for this growth in the Gulf aluminium market, according to GAC. Besides, the constant efforts of the GCC countries to make a shift towards the non-oil sector, especially the aluminium industry, is another important factor. The top five aluminium producers that have primarily contributed to the transition of...
GFG’s £120 million alloy wheel plant progressing slower than expected: Source
According to a recent report, GFG Alliance’s £120 million alloy wheel plant, which was originally predicted to open early next year, creating 400 jobs, is moving a bit slow on development and planning. However, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) interim chief executive Carroll Buxton said company managers assured about the commitments of the economic development quango to the project. As per the report, HIE’s board recently paid a visit to the smelter, which was saved from possible closure when GFG Alliance bought it for £330 million in 2016, for holding talks with senior management, including operations director Brian King. Ms Buxton said: “Their plans are moving a bit more slowly than maybe they would have hoped, but they are very committed to the area. She commented, “They have...
Thailand-based SakunC Innovation Co to deliver lightweight aluminium electric minibuses in Q1 2020
SakunC Innovation Co, expertise in building boats and vehicles with lightweight aluminium, will reportedly deliver the first batch of 208 units of electric minibuses to local customers in the first quarter of 2020. Marketed by the SakunC brand, the vehicle is priced at 2.3 million a unit, said chief executive Weeraphon Techaphasuksanti. The assembling of the vehicle will take place at the company’s plant in Suphan Buri, which has the capacity to make 2,800 such units in a year. The plant required an investment of 1 billion Thailand Baht and received perks from the Board of Investment, according to the report. SakunC expects that by the end of this year, the revenue will reach 100 million Thai Baht, and by the year next to 800 million Thai Baht. Thanks to its wide range of products in the...
A00 aluminium ingot price increases by RMB120/t while alumina price declines; Aluminium alloy price grows too
The A00 aluminium ingot price has recorded a significant rise today, on November 8, by RMB 120 per tonne to stand at RMB 14,230 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. Compared with the price during the same period last month, the ingot price today is standing higher by RMB 180 per tonne, learned SMM. The average prices, as of today, are expected to range between RMB 14,210 per tonne and RMB 14,250 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a premium price of RMB 40 per tonne. Arrivals of limited stocks, resulting in incessant declines in social inventories of primary aluminium, could be attributed to the rise of A00 aluminium ingot price. In Foshan, the ingot price has increased by RMB 100 per tonne to RMB 14,120 per tonne, while that in Wuxi, Chongqing, Shenyang, Tianjin, and...
