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.
Moves to reduce plastic packaging paving path for increasing use of aluminium: Emilio Braghi, Novelis
The European head of Novelis has reportedly pointed out that moves to reduce plastic packaging as a measure to protect the environment have started increasing the demand for aluminium packaging. Also, the trend towards electric cars is bolstering the demand for aluminium, according to world’s largest rolled aluminium producer’s senior vice president and Europe president Emilio Braghi. “Consumers want more sustainable beverage packaging options, which is having a direct and positive impact on aluminium demand as aluminium cans provide a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bottles,” Braghi said in an interview for LME Week 2019. He added that some of the world’s biggest beverage brands announced to address the plastic waste challenge by introducing new aluminium packaging for...
Beijing plans to replace gas-powered taxis with electric cars, aiming at boosting NEV sales
Shanghai Metals Market reports that China is speeding up the development of new energy vehicles, as Beijing and other major cities have announced plans to replace gas-powered taxis with electric cars in the next few years, as part of an initiative to boost NEV sales and reduce pollution. The Beijing Municipality Transport Commission said on October 30 that in the next two years, all newly registered or replacement taxis in Beijing have to be fully electric. According to the report from the commission, more than 1,000 brand new fully electric taxis have already hit the road in Beijing. By the end of next year, the target is to switch 20,000 taxis to NEVs. Shenzhen, the technology hub in South China, has also taken the lead among many other Chinese cities. Only fully electric vehicles will...
China’s alumina imports continued to surge in September by 331.9% YoY, while exports dropped
After the month-on-month fall in August 2019, China’s General Administration of Customs data found that China’s alumina import in September 2019 grew from the previous month by about 25 per cent to stand at 147,000 tonnes. In August, the import volume was at 120,000 tonnes after dropping by 40 per cent from 200,000 tonnes in July. Besides, on a yearly basis, China’s imports in September continued to record a robust surge of 331.9 per cent, but at a slower pace compared with August when the aluminium ore imports had soared by 848.4 per cent year-on-year. In the total nine months of 2019, China’s alumina imports came in at around 790,000 tonnes, up 93.3 per cent from the same period last year. According to report from China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association in June, China was expected...
Primary aluminium inventories stand at 870,000t after three consecutive W-o-W falls
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the social inventories of primary aluminium, on Thursday, October 31, declined for the third consecutive week, as arrivals remained limited and consumption stayed robust. SMM data showed the primary aluminium stocks across eight major Chinese consumption areas, include SHFE warrants, plunged by 12,000 tonnes from a week ago to stand at 870,000 tonnes. On last Thursday, October 24, the primary aluminium inventories had decreased by 34,000 tonnes week-on-week to come in at 882,000 tonnes, followed by the decline of 61,000 tonnes to 916,000 tonnes on October 17. This indicates that although the primary aluminium inventories declined over the past three consecutive weeks, but recorded a slower pace each week. The chart below indicates the current status of...
NEA rolls out reverse vending machines in Singapore for promoting aluminium cans, plastic bottles recycle
National Environment Agency (NEA), together with drinks manufacturer Fraser and Neave (F&N), reportedly launched reverse vending machines at Our Tampines Hub in Singapore on Thursday, October 31, as part of 'The Recycle N Save' initiative. The machines will accept empty drink cans and plastic bottles, and for every four drink receptacles will issue a discount voucher worth 20 cents, which can be used at any FairPrice, Cheers, or FairPrice Xpress outlet. As per the report, the vending machines are capable of holding up to 600 aluminium cans and plastic bottles at a time, featured with a compactor that flattens the drink cans and bottles to save space. The initiative followed favourable response from the public to the pilot initiative at Waterway Point in Punggol in January last year. The...
US tariffs on metal imports weighed down domestic aluminium market: Andy Home at LME Week 2019
United States tariffs on aluminium imports had a great effect on the country’s domestic aluminium industry, said Andy Home, Senior Metals Columnist at Thomson Reuters, at the London Metal Exchange Week 2019. As the US import duties came into effect on the national security grounds in early 2018, the US Midwest premium, which overlays the LME cash price, expanded from 10 cents per pound to 22 cents per pound. The premium later eased to 18 cents per pound, though much higher than levels seen before the imposition of the tariffs. This hike in prices was primarily because of the disruption in supply chain, both primary aluminium and semi-finished, as a result of lesser imports due to tariffs. However, the above graph indicates that the steel and aluminium import tariffs in 2018 had no impact...
Southland leaders to launch campaign to save Tiwai Aluminium from production halt
According to a recent report, Southland leaders will start a campaign to save the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter from being closed. Campaign leader Carla Forbes said the campaign would be about getting a fair operating environment in the smelter besides highlighting on the fact that the smelter was not only good for Southland but all of New Zealand. "Aluminium is a smart metal, it's in every iPhone, in aeroplane wings ... it's the metal of the future and we make the world's best. It's a vital component in the technological landscape," said Forbes. Smelter owner Rio Tinto, however, has not made any decisions about its future. It is reviewing different options that also include closure, as low aluminium prices and high energy costs may become threats to its ongoing viability. Rio is also...
Limited consumption of downstream aluminium curbs billet inventory decline in China
Shanghai Metals Market found the aluminium billet inventories dropped over the week, marking the third consecutive weekly fall, but at a slower pace as consumption weakened. According to the data, the stocks of 6063 aluminium billet shrank 1,900 tonnes to stand at 116,200 tonnes across five major consumption areas, as of Thursday, October 31, compared to the decline of 11,000 tonnes to 118,100 on October 24. On October 17, the stocks decreased by 7,600 tonnes over the week to come in at 129,200 tonnes. The chart below indicates the current status of aluminium billet inventories across major markets in China: So, the above chart indicates that the billet inventories only fell in Foshan, Guangdong by about 9,000 tonnes to stand at 55,000 tonnes; while in all other the markets the stocks...
Prebaked anode price remains restrained despite Weiqiao’s price cut; A00 aluminium ingot price falls by RMB30/t
According to Shanghai Metals Market, Shandong Weiqiao Group, the top aluminium producer in China continues to reduce the benchmark purchasing price for prebaked anode for the fifth consecutive month by RMB 100 per tonne. This brought the Weiqiao’s prebaked anode purchasing price for November to RMB 2,800 per tonne in cash, compared with RMB 2,900 per tonne in October. The benchmark purchasing price in October was RMB 25 per tonne lower than in September. So, the purchasing price in September was at RMB 2,925 per tonne after being reduced by RMB 75 per tonne from August. But the further fall of Weiqiao’s prebaked anode purchasing price has not yet affected the spot price of the prebaked anode in China market, found SMM. As of Thursday, October 31, the price has remained unchanged at RMB...
TES to set up a new $20 million lithium-ion batteries recycling facility in Singapore
TES, the global electronic waste recycler, will reportedly open a new facility for recycling lithium-ion batteries in Singapore, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon on Wednesday, October 30. "This is an exciting development as the use of batteries for grid-related energy storage is projected to grow globally, to manage the increasing adoption of intermittent renewable energy such as solar," said Dr Koh at the Clean Energy Summit held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. The new facility, named TES B, is expected to cost about $20 million. This investment is seen as a company investment to exemplify green growth opportunities. Dr Koh added that this new recycling facility would allow precious metals from the lithium-ion batteries to be reused to...
Chalieco wins RMB 5.3 billion contract to build alumina refinery in Indonesia
A consortium led by China Aluminium International Engineering, a listed arm of Chinese aluminium giant Aluminium Corporation of China, has reportedly won a contract worth RMB 5.3 billion (USD745.3 million) to build an alumina refinery in Indonesia. The news arrived after Chalieco confirmed on October 24 on receiving the report from PT Borneo Alumina Indonesia that it won the engineering, procurement, and construction contract. As per the report, the project will have an annual output of 1 million tonnes of metallurgical grade alumina. Chalieco said that it would receive the contract amount in two parts, without disclosing the division between partners or the schedule. In the first part, it will receive US$369.9 million and in the second, US$374.6 million. Chalieco will be in charge of the...
Spain to record a rise of 15% in aluminium tubes and pipes import in 2019; South Africa to be the leading supplier
According to the international export-import data, aluminium tubes and pipes import by Spain is likely to rise in 2019 after a drop last year. The data shows the import this year is expected to come in at 9,017 tonnes, compared with 7,871 tonnes, meaning a growth of 15 per cent. In 2018, Spain’s import had also increased by about 6 per cent year-on-year, as the import volume in 2017 was at 7,440 tonnes after recording a sweeping growth of about 110 per cent from 3,536 in 2016. In tandem with the growth in Spain’s aluminium tubes and pipes import, the cost is also foreseen to record a rise. Compared with US$30 million in 2018, Spain’s aluminium tubes and pipes import cost is likely to come in at US$38 million, up 27 per cent. The global export-import data shows that Spain’s import cost...
Bauxilum suspends bauxite, alumina production for unstable power supply and mismanagement
According to a recent report, CVG Bauxilum , Venezuela state-owned bauxite and alumina producer, has suspended its bauxite and alumina production due to a lack of imported materials, stable power supply, and mismanagement. The company and union officials said they renounced the plans of ramping up the monthly production levels of 18,000 tonnes of alumina and reviving the company’s 6 million tonnes per year open-pit bauxite mine before the end of 2020 for the uncertain future. Bauxilum's shutdown this month "shuts the lid on the aluminium industry's coffin," a senior company union official said. He added, "The entire Venezuelan aluminum industry from the Los Pijiguaos bauxite mine to the smelters is now shut down, possibly forever." Industry and national production minister Tareck El...
Illycaffè to launch new aluminium coffee capsules compatible with Nespresso coffee machines
A new range of aluminum coffee capsules is soon to hit the UK market as Illycaffè will reportedly launch them and make them available for UK retailers by 2020. As per the report, the capsules to be launched are a result of the licensing agreement between Illycaffè and JAB. Illy claims that its new capsules will be compatible with Nespresso coffee machines and will help the company “keep in-step with modern consumption trends.” Initially, three flavours will be available in the range: Classico, Intenso and Forte. Jacobs Douwe Egberts will reportedly handle the production and distribution of the capsules in retail channels outside Italy, while Illycaffè will be responsible for the distribution in all other sales channels, as well as all sales channels in Italy. Massimiliano Pogliani,...
China’s bauxite imports dropped in September for the second consecutive month
Shanghai Metals Market found that China’s bauxite imports fell in September for the second straight month, due to a weak supply from major sources such as the Republic of Guinea, as the latter entered a rainy season in July. Customs data under HS code 26060000 showed that China imported 6.75 million tonnes of bauxite in September, down 21.86 per cent from 9.04 million tonnes in August 2019 and 2.08 per cent from 6.89 million tonnes. This brought imports in the first nine months of 2019 to 78.13 million tonnes, up 26.79% from the same period a year earlier. From Guinea, China imported 1.79 million tonnes in the month of September, down 50.89 per cent from August, marking a decline for the second month in a row. From Australia, on the other hand, the China’s bauxite import volume rose by...
A00 aluminium ingot price records a slight rise further, while input costs remain restrained
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the A00 aluminium ingot price has recorded a growth of RMB 10 per tonne to stand at RMB 14,000 per tonne. This marks the fourth consecutive rise, but the price still stands lower by RMB 30 per tonne, compared with RMB 14,030 per tonne during the same period last month. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 13,980 per tonne and RMB 14,020 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a premium price of RMB 80-120 per tonne. However, the price rise today has not touched upon all the major markets in China, such as Foshan, Chongqing, Shenyang, Linyi, and Gongyi, where the price has witnessed falls or remained restrained. For instance, in Foshan, the ingot price has slipped by RMB 20 per tonne to RMB 13,910 per tonne, while that in Chongqing...
Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation becomes a guarantor to OPRL
Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) has reportedly joined the list of guarantors to the On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) scheme. The scheme is to reduce consumer confusion by providing consistent visual cues on whether or not packaging can be recycled. OPRL has over 400 members at the present. Existing guarantors to the OPRL are INCPEN (the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment), ACE UK (the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment), CPI (the Confederation of Paper Industries), LARAC (the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee) and plastic recycling charity RECOUP. They together will work alongside representatives from different sectors like cartons, paper and card, plastic packaging and so on to develop the label that will advise people how to...
Rio Tinto installs four 85-tonne bauxite residue filter presses at its refinery in Quebec
Rio Tinto has reportedly begun the commissioning of an industry-leading filter press technology at its Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Quebec, under CAD $250 million budget. Four 85-tonne presses have been already installed. The original scheduled time of commissioning the presses was six weeks later. By moving the refinery to dry stacking of bauxite residue in just 17 minutes instead of 3 years it takes currently, the new filter presses are expected to deliver environmental benefits. It will extend the life of the refinery operation as well, which supports 1,000 jobs in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region. The presses will be fully operational by early 2020. Bauxite residue is primarily composed of the insoluble fraction of the bauxite ore that remains after extraction of the...
