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.
China’s A00 ingot price grows on aluminium inventory dip for sixth consecutive week
The primary aluminium inventory in China, including SHFE warrants, continued shrinking marking a sixth consecutive week of decline on June 14, 2018. Compared to the last Thursday when inventory stood at 1.98 million tonnes after shrinking 55,000 from its previous week, today, the inventory witnessed a downfall of 53,000 tonnes to stand at 1.92 million tonnes, according to Shanghai Metals Market. Despite torrential downpours in Guangdong province during last weekend, overall inventory declined on the week due to fewer deliveries to warehouses in northwest China. Major Chinese cities like Wuxi and Jiangsu, Nanhai and Guangdong, Gongyi and Henan all witnessed a decline in their primary aluminium inventories. More details are as follows: On the face of primary aluminium inventory decline in...
New electric vehicle sales in China soar 30% MoM and 142% YoY
According to the data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Friday, June 8, 2018, new electric vehicle sales in China register a year on year surge of 142 per cent and a month on month growth of 30 per cent to 92,188 units in May. The cumulative sales of new energy passenger vehicles through May reached 280,635 units, soaring 140 per cent compared to the year earlier. Pure electric passenger vehicles sales also jumped in May by 130 per cent from a year ago and stood at 73,072 units, while sales of plug-in hybrid electric passenger vehicles rose 199% from a year ago, registering 19,161 units. On the other hand, the A00 battery electric vehicles, a small-sized vehicle with relatively short driving range recorded sales of 44,926 units in May, up 141% year on year. So,...
Brazil court revokes Hyrdo’s bid to overturn forced production cut at Alunorte alumina refinery
According to Reuters report, rejection of Norsk Hydro’s appeal to overturn the partial suspension of bauxite refining operations at Alunorte refinery by a court in the Brazilian state of Para emerges as a blow to the world’s largest alumina refinery. In April, the company had sued state prosecutors in Para in a bid to spur a new study to assess the allegations of prosecutors, after the Lower Court in February and Federal Court in May ordered Hydro to cut production at its Alunorte alumina refinery by 50 per cent. While upholding the lower court’s ruling, Federal Judge Arthur Pinheiro Chaves had said failure to honour the conditions set by the courts would result in a daily fine of 1 million reais ($285,000), according to news published by Reuters. The allegation was the spillage of...
A00 aluminium ingot price in China dwindles and so is alumina spot price: SMM updates
After a slight rise in average A00 aluminium ingot spot price on June 12, 2018, from RMB 14720 per tonne to RMB 14750 per tonne, it dropped again to RMB 14540 per tonne on June 13, according to Shanghai Metals Market. The prices are expected to range between RMB 14520 per tonne and RMB 14560 per tonne with spot discounts to settle at RMB 20 per tonne. This downfall in aluminium ingot price could be because traders were reluctant to purchase from the spot aluminium market and took a wait-and-watch stance on the face of narrowed spot discounts against the SHFE 1806 contract. The inventory also went down as aluminium ingot stocks at warehouses became limited. Given the shrinking inventory, sellers were reluctant to let go of their cargoes and supply thus, became tight. The table below...
A unit of Tsinghua University to acquire Tianshan Aluminium for US$ 3.7 billion
According to Reuters report, a unit of Beijing’s Tsinghua University would buy a Xinjiang-based aluminium smelter Tianshan Aluminium at an estimated price of US$ 3.7 billion. In a statement, Xiamen Unigroup Xue Co Ltd (000526.SZ), a Shenzhen-listed education services provider controlled by Tsinghua said, it would pay in cash and shares to acquire 100 per cent of Tianshan over an unspecified time frame. The reason behind acquiring the smelter by Tsinghua is, however, not know yet. “Right now the overall plan is still being discussed,” a Unigroup official told Reuters over the phone on condition of anonymity. The official also said that the final plan would be handed over to the board of directors once decided. State-run Tsinghua has interests in a number of companies, including a 1.5 per...
Chalco targets Boffa bauxite project in Guinea by end-2019
According to the report by Reuters, Aluminium Corp of China (Chalco) has signed an agreement with Guinea government, on June 8 in Conakry, to develop the Boffa bauxite project in the west of the country. According to the agreement signed, Chalco Guinea Company would be granted mining licenses for the Boffa North and Boffa South Blocks for 15 years and would be open to renewal for next 15 years on expiry. Chalco must transfer 15 per cent of shares in Chalco Guinea Company to the Guinea government with 10 business days, while Guinea has option to increase interest up to 35 per cent. The project holds around 1.75 billion tonnes of bauxite, with an estimated annual production of 12 million tonnes, which is expected to start by the end of 2019. The output will go to Chalco alumina refineries...
Australian Mines confirms partnership with Metalysis for aluminium-scandium alloy
With the aim to accelerate revenue generation and shareholder value at the flagship project Sconi in Queensland, the metals explorer Australian Mines (ASX: AUZ) confirms its partnership deal with UK-based technology company Metalysis. The company intends to commercialise the high-purity scandium oxide through this partnership that could command higher revenue margins and serve as better final products for end-users. The company believes this agreement should add positively to the ongoing research and development programme around “a solid-state process to produce a low-cost yet superior aluminium-scandium alloy for potential use by the automotive and aerospace industries”. Originally invented by the University of Cambridge and then commercialised by Metalysis, this innovative solid-state...
Aluminium market in east China lowers on narrowed spot discounts: A00 ingot price rises a bit
According to Shanghai Metals Market, east China on Monday, June 11, 2018, witnessed a narrowed trading in spot aluminium market. Traders showed reluctance in purchasing primary aluminium and took a wait-and-watch stance as spot discounts against the SHFE 1806 contract shrank. In the Shanghai market, transactions were mostly heard at RMB 14710 per tonne to RMB 14720 per tonne with discounts settled at RMB 30 to RMB 20 per tonne against the SHFE 1806 contract, compared to RMB 60 to RMB 50 per tonne a week ago. The discounts against the 1807 contract hovered around RMB 110 per tonne. In Wuxi and Hangzhou, transactions were seen at RMB 14710 per tonne to RMB 14720 per tonne and RMB 14740 per tonne to RMB 14760 per tonne respectively. Sellers in east China were keen to offload cargoes and...
End-users in the automotive industry in Ohio to face impact of US-Canada trade war
Ohio is one among those many states in the US who are fearful about the impact of prospective US-Canada trade war. Since when the United States declared to impose additional 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium that is imported from Canada to the US, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned to strike back hard. Almost immediately, Canada released its list of retaliatory tariffs which includes not only aluminium and steel but many other products which the US exports to Canada. However, Canada accounts for about 38 per cent of Ohio’s export market, with Ohio sending Canada nearly US$19 billion worth of imports last year, from auto parts to furniture to soap. For decades, the prospect of a trade war between the US and Canada had been like a unicorn invasion. But the...
GlassPoint Solar partners with Napco for aluminium
GlassPoint Solar, the leading supplier of solar energy to the oil and gas industry, has partnered with Oman’s largest aluminium producer, National Aluminium Products Company (Napco), to obtain aluminium materials for its solar plant project Miraah. The company’s aim is to develop a solar hub in Oman while generating sustainable in-country value (ICV) within the Sultanate through this partnership. Steven Moss, GlassPoint’s Chief Executive Officer said in a press release, “We are proud to be partnering with NAPCO in developing our ‘Made in Oman’ solar supply chain. Creating opportunities for local companies and contractors is part of our growth strategy within the Sultanate. Together with our partners, we are working to establish Oman as an industrial hub for renewable energy.” Since the...
Alumina price in China declines on spot cargoes sell: Primary aluminium price & inventory plunge as well
After a decline in two consecutive days last week, alumina spot price showed restraint today, June 11, at RMB 2904 per tonne, according to Shanghai Metals Market. On June 7, the alumina spot price plunged from RMB 2998 per tonne to RMB 2954 per tonne and on June 8, it fell to RMB 2904 per tonne. Shanghai Metals Market believes that alumina spot price declined last week primarily because alumina producers as well as major traders in Shanxi and Henan began to sell spot cargoes. The slow pace of export shipments leaving the port in Guangxi also contributed to the fall of alumina spot price, as it increased the possibility of them being sold in the domestic market, which further suppressed domestic alumina prices. SMM anticipates that alumina spot price is likely to face more pressure in the...
New bill to confirm GIBADA not another mining regulatory body: Says Bawumia
Ghana Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has assured a new bill to establish that the Ghana Integrated Bauxite and Aluminium Development Authority (GIBADA) is not another mining regulatory body. This assurance came from him when the Minerals Commission Board, led by its Chairman S.K. Boafo, paid a courtesy on him at the Flagstaff House in Accra. While explaining to the board about GIBADA, the Vice-President said the purpose of establishing this body was to promote and facilitate the development of an integrated aluminium industry in Ghana, so that its economy could shift from being dependent only on the production and exports of raw materials to an industrialised, value added one. Bawumia said the Minerals Commission will continue upholding its regulatory mandate established under the...
Acer’s new gaming notebooks Swift 5 & Predator Helios flaunt aluminium body
The Taiwanese electronics technology brand once more takes pride in unveiling two new gaming notebooks Swift 5 & Predator Helios. The former is meant for people who look for travel-friendly gadgets and the latter would perfectly fit into the choice of budget gamers. Acer’s Swift 5 weights under 1 kg because of using ultralight magnesium-aluminium alloys for the palm rest area and magnesium-lithium alloy for the top and bottom cover. This new gaming notebook also flaunts very thin bezels so that the size of the display appears bigger. It features 15.6-inch display with Full HD IPS resolution along with touchscreen facility, and houses up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. It gives an excellent sharing, streaming, and gaming experience with Intel Wireless-AC 9560 wifi which offers 2×2...
Tomago Aluminium warns of operations cut due to power deficit
Tomago Aluminium, one of Australia’s biggest smelters near Newcastle, has notified on Friday, June 8, 2018, that it may have to curtail operations for a third time in a week due to power shortage across the national electricity market. The company said it was asked to halt each of three potlines this week - one on Tuesday and two on Thursday due to the power reserves deficit. Matt Howell, Tomago’s chief executive told Fairfax Media, how the company was worried about another curtailment of operations later in the day. He said in a separate statement, "Australia is at a crisis point with our energy system." The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has issued a level 2 alert, anticipating a lack of reserve power for later part of the day. The alert system is installed that warns the...
Average alumina spot price in China dwindles two days in a row: Input costs remain steady
After hovering at RMB 2998 per tonne from 1 st of June to 6 th of June, 2018, the average alumina spot price dwindled two days in a row, according to Shanghai Metals Market. While on June 7, the average alumina spot price plunged from RMB 2998 per tonne to RMB 2954 per tonne; on June 8, it further dipped to RMB 2904 per tonne. Despite the alumina spot price lowered on two consecutive days, the price had otherwise been reflecting a steady sentiment, with no frequent ups and downs. From the beginning of May till the mid, the average alumina spot price hovered at RMB 3118 per tonne. Then it dipped to RMB 3094 per tonne followed by RMB 3065 per tonne which continued almost till the end of the month. The month of June also displayed a steady alumina spot price, drifted at RMB 2998 per tonne...
Mnuchin recommends Trump to exempt Canada from additional aluminium and steel tariffs
The US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urged President Donald Trump to exempt Canada from additional 25 per cent tariffs on imported steel and 10 per cent on imported aluminium, on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, in a trade meeting at White House. This news came from senior administration officials and two sources close to the White House. According to the sources, Mnuchin made a request to Donald Trump to exempt Canada from the recently imposed additional tariffs, after returning from the G-7 finance minister’s summit in Canada. He raised the point that the United States has a US$ 2 billion steel surplus with Canada and nearly US$ 26 billion services surplus. The trade meeting on June 5 was attended by National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Trade Advisor Peter...
Aluminium-bodied car Alpine A110 2018 confirms its pricing and specs
Renault Australia unveils the pricing for its new Alpine A110 which dons an all-aluminium construction. The order books of this new beauty are now open for the three variant ranges, starting at US$97,000 plus on road-costs for the entry-level Pure, US$103,500 for the up-specced Legende, and US$106,000 for the limited Australian Premiere Edition. Among many unique features like Brembo brakes, a bi-modal sports exhaust, and light-weight one-piece Sabelt bucket seats, what stand out for this car are brushed aluminium pedals and 18-inch Fuchs’ forged aluminium alloy wheels, with blue highlights. Also, its aluminium platform body that limits kerb weight to 1080 kg while providing exceptional rigidity with optimal weight distribution (44 per cent front and 56 per cent rear) deserves special...
Indian operators to restart CAL bauxite mining project: Sources said
As confirmed by some trusted sources, Indian operators are going to relaunch the long-awaited Cameroon Alumina Limited’s (CAL) bauxite mining project. It’s been over years now this plan was proposed to set up a Greenfield project involving bauxite mining, a 3 million-tonnes-per-annum alumina refinery, and associated infrastructure, backed on the bauxite deposits of Ngaoundal and Minim-Martap in the Adamawa region of Cameroon. However, not much detail on this update is known yet. According to the sources, this topic was discussed on May 30, 2018, during the audience granted to Ravi Kumar, the Indian consul in Cameroon, by Ernest Gbwaboubou. During the meeting, the consul expressed that its partners Indostand Aluminium, Dubai Aluminium and Hydromines, the Indian company Hindalco were...
