AlCircle News Edited By "Pratyusha Chatterjee"
A writer with 5+ years of experience in the communication industry, Pratyusha Chatterjee has indulged in content from the business, lifestyle, travel industries and more. Apart from news and content, Pratyusha is immensely fond of participating in cultural events and managing them.
Ghana’s 920Mt of bauxite reserves catch global investors’ attention amid aluminium push
International investor interest in Ghana’s bauxite industry has intensified, with Coal India becoming the latest overseas company to evaluate opportunities in the country as it seeks to diversify beyond coal and secure mineral assets abroad. The Indian state-controlled miner’s interest remains at an early evaluation stage. No specific Ghanaian mine, deposit or company has been identified, and there is no indication that formal negotiations with the Ghanaian authorities have begun. Coal India’s Ghana interest forms part of a broader international expansion strategy focused on minerals including bauxite, lithium, iron ore, rare earths and other critical minerals. The company is also working towards establishing its first overseas trading office in Singapore, which could serve as a base for...
India’s alumina trade surplus nearly quadruples to 1.72 Mt in H1 2026 as exports hit 2.5 Mt
India’s alumina trade underwent a sharp shift in the first half of 2026, with exports accelerating to a new high while imports contracted substantially. Data for HS 281820, i.e. aluminium oxide excluding artificial corundum, shows that India exported 2.5 million tonnes in H1 2026, up 51.3 per cent from 1.65 million tonnes in H1 2025. At the same time, imports fell 34.9 per cent year-on-year to 775,362 tonnes from 1.19 million tonnes. The result was a substantial widening of India’s net alumina trade surplus. The country moved from a surplus of about 460,466 tonnes in H1 2025 to 1.72 million tonnes in H1 2026, a nearly fourfold increase. Exports climb to a record level India’s alumina exports have been on a clear upward trajectory since Q2 2024. Quarterly shipments rose from 458,621 tonnes...
Germany aluminium extrusion market outlook H2 2026 after imports fall 3.5% as exports rise 1%, & billet premiums double
Germany’s aluminium extrusion trade enters the second half of 2026 on firmer footing than a year ago, even as Europe's extrusion industry works through plant closures, elevated billet premiums and a shift toward low-carbon, value-added output. Quarterly trade data through Q2 2026, along with AL Circle’s recently updated “ The World of Aluminium Extrusions - Industry Forecast to 2035 ” and other reports on Germany’s aluminium extrusion market sizing, point to a market that is stabilising in volume but being rewritten in composition, with automotive lightweighting, EU carbon border rules, and energy-driven capacity rationalisation the dominant forces heading into H2 2026. Germany's Aluminium Extrusion Trade Pulse (Q2 2024-Q2 2026) Germany runs a large, structural trade deficit in basic...
Canyon Resources’ Cameroon bauxite project hits funding pause as first shipment timeline withdrawn
Canyon Resources’ Minim Martap bauxite project in Cameroon has hit a fresh financing hurdle after AFG Bank Cameroon suspended further drawdowns under the project’s loan facility, prompting the company to withdraw its previously announced first-shipment timeline. The development comes as Canyon also faces funding constraints linked to the takeover bid from A2MP Investments FZCO. Canyon said its Cameroon-based subsidiary, Camalco Cameroon, received formal notice from AFG Bank that further disbursements under the loan facility would be suspended. The lender wants to complete a review of the Minim Martap project development schedule, financial model and other financial inputs, as well as conduct a site visit, before releasing additional funds. The funding pause is significant because the...
US aluminium extrusion demand to hit 4.2Mt by 2034: Which end-use sectors will drive demand?
The United States is emerging as one of the most important markets for aluminium extrusions , with demand spread across transportation, building and construction, electrical and electronics, machinery and equipment, consumer durables and other industrial applications. IMARC estimates that the US aluminium extrusion market reached 3.0 million tonnes in 2025 and projects it to reach 4.2 million tonnes by 2034, representing a CAGR of 3.71 per cent between 2026 and 2034. Transportation and building & construction dominate North American aluminium extrusion demand, together accounting for around 65 per cent of total usage. In 2024, transportation was estimated to represent 33 per cent of North American aluminium extrusion consumption, followed by building & construction at 32 per cent ....
420 billion cans, one 20-year-old fix: The Six Sigma Case for can-to-can recycling
New IAI data show that closing the can-to-can loop, not simply collecting more cans, will decide whether the industry produces 207 billion or 685 billion recycled cans by 2050. A Six Sigma study from Kentucky, co-authored nearly two decades ago by Dr Subodh K. Das, offers a strikingly relevant blueprint for treating every unrecycled can as a preventable process defect. Aluminium's most-quoted recycling statistic keeps getting bigger, but a new analysis from the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) suggests that scale alone will not decide how much of that metal comes back as new cans. According to the IAI’s September 2025 factsheet, "Can-to-Can Recycling: Performance, Potential and Pathways," the industry currently puts around 420 billion aluminium beverage cans on the market every...
Hydro signs 10 GWh hybrid power deal with Varberg Energi to stabilise renewable electricity supply
Norsk Hydro’s energy arm Hydro Energi AS has signed an 18-month hybrid power purchase agreement (PPA) with Varberg Energi, combining wind power, solar power and energy storage to deliver a more stable renewable electricity supply for industrial consumption. The agreement covers 10 GWh of electricity in Sweden’s SE3 bidding zone, with deliveries already underway from July 2026. The pilot is designed to test how different renewable energy sources and storage technologies can be combined to address the intermittency of renewable power while maintaining a competitive and sustainable electricity supply for industry. Hydro tests hybrid renewable power supply model Under the pilot agreement, Varberg Energi will supply Norsk Hydro with electricity generated from its own wind and solar assets,...
From $82/t to $66.5/t: Where is Australia’s bauxite market headed in 2026?
Australia produced about 102.4 million tonnes of bauxite in 2025 and exported 44.23 million tonnes, up from 42.6 million tonnes in 2024, making it the world’s second-largest producer. Yet just as Australia’s role as a seaborne bauxite supplier is becoming more strategically important amid uncertainty over Guinea’s exports, its own supply chain has taken a hit. Record rainfall around Weipa in January-February 2026, followed by Tropical Cyclone Narelle in March, disrupted Rio Tinto’s bauxite operations and shipments. The result was a sharp Q1 production setback and a fresh reminder that Australia’s advantage as a reliable alternative supplier is still exposed to extreme weather. Weipa was hit before Narelle even arrived The disruption did not begin with the cyclone. Rio Tinto reported that...
Rio Tinto ecstatic as Tomago smelter gets its power secured through 2038
The wait is over. A day after reports that Australia’s largest aluminium smelter was on the verge of receiving a government-backed AUD 2.5 billion lifeline, the deal has now been formally announced. Tomago Aluminium has reached an agreement with the Australian Government and the New South Wales Government that secures a long-term power supply for the smelter through 2038 , removing the immediate threat posed by the expiry of its existing electricity contract in December 2028. The agreement also puts Tomago on a defined path towards 100 per cent renewable electricity from 2033, while the smelter itself has committed AUD 1.1 billion of investment through 2038. Tomago’s power uncertainty finally gets an answer As reported by AL Circle on August 12 , Tomago’s future had been hanging in the...
Tomago smelter set for $2.5b lifeline for as Australian PM Albanese set to make major announcement
Australia’s largest aluminium smelter, Rio Tinto-controlled Tomago Aluminium, appears set for a major government-backed lifeline, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns expected to announce a support package worth up to AUD 2.5 billion over 10 years on Thursday. The proposed deal comes as Tomago’s future beyond 2028 remains tied to its ability to secure reliable and competitively priced electricity. Its existing power supply agreement with AGL expires in December 2028, and the smelter has warned that significantly higher power costs could make continued operations economically unviable. A AUD 2.5 billion package to keep Tomago running According to reports, Albanese and Minns are expected to visit Tomago near Newcastle on Thursday to announce a joint...
Indian port, Visakhapatnam, handles record 71 bauxite rakes in July 2026
Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) handled a record 71 bauxite rakes in July 2026, surpassing its previous monthly benchmark of 69 rakes recorded in March, in another sign of strengthening bulk cargo and rail-handling operations at the eastern Indian port. The July performance marks a new high for bauxite rake handling at Visakhapatnam Port, with the latest benchmark coming only four months after the previous record. According to the information provided by VPA, the achievement emulates the port's focus on operational efficiency, cargo evacuation and rail connectivity. The handling of 71 rakes in a single month is significant because bauxite movement through a port involves multiple interconnected stages, including vessel operations, cargo handling, yard management, rail placement and...
MCX aluminium price outlook: Supply risks could push futures towards ₹356/kg
MCX aluminium prices are entering the second half of August with supply-side risks once again becoming a key market driver. ICICI Direct expects the August aluminium futures contract to find support near INR 344 per kg and move towards INR 356 per kg. Aluminium has been through a sharp correction-and-recovery cycle in 2026. After touching around INR 393 per kg (USD 4.12 per kg) on MCX in early June, prices fell towards INR 330 (USD 3.46) per kg before recovering. MCX aluminium finds support as global supply remains vulnerable Global primary aluminium production reached 5.98 million tonnes in June 2026, according to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), with China accounting for an estimated 3.712 million tonnes. China therefore remained by far the world's largest source of primary...
EU CBAM after H1 2026: Is carbon becoming aluminium's new €75/tCO₂ trade premium?
The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) entered its definitive regime on January 1, 2026, turning what had been a reporting exercise during 2023-2025 into a mechanism with an eventual financial liability. Aluminium sits alongside iron and steel, cement, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen among the sectors covered. The European Commission fixed the CBAM certificate price at EUR 75.36 per tonne of CO₂ for Q1 2026 , followed by EUR 75.28 per tonne of CO₂ for Q2 . The prices are calculated from the weighted average auction clearing price of EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) allowances. Four quarterly prices will apply during 2026 before the system moves to weekly pricing from 2027. That does not mean every tonne of imported aluminium simply attracts its total carbon...
Can recycled aluminium reshape automotive engineering? Gavin Shipley on PIVOT’s 90% CO₂ opportunity
With more than three decades of experience spanning automotive, aerospace and industrial innovation, Gavin Shipley, Technical Director at Sarginsons Industries, has built his career around taking ambitious engineering concepts beyond the drawing board and into scalable, commercially viable production. Today, that philosophy sits at the heart of his work on advanced lightweight aluminium casting, where simulation, digital twin technology, circularity and low-carbon manufacturing are increasingly converging. Shipley is currently leading the APC25 PIVOT programme, working alongside industry and academic partners to develop next-generation structural aluminium casting solutions. At Sarginsons, this includes a world-first capability to virtually crash-test aluminium castings using variable...
ASK Automotive Q1 FY2027 income surges 52.1%, but higher aluminium prices squeeze margins
India-based auto component manufacturer ASK Automotive Limited's first-quarter FY2027 performance offers a telling example of how elevated aluminium alloy prices can simultaneously inflate revenues and squeeze margins across the automotive component value chain. Despite the commodity-price pressure, the company emerged from the quarter with record revenue, EBITDA and profit after tax (PAT). Major numbers reaffirming the performance include total income of INR 13.61 billion, up 52.1 per cent year-on-year, EBITDA of INR 1.64 billion compared with INR 1.23 billion a year earlier, and PAT of INR 850 million, representing an increase of 28.8 per cent. Earnings per share consequently improved to INR 4.32 from INR 3.35 in Q1 FY2026. Business momentum remained strong even after stripping out the...
Glass, plastic or aluminium? 74.8% recycling rate gives beverage cans a circularity advantage
A cold beer in a glass bottle, sparkling water in a PET bottle and an energy drink in a sleek aluminium can may occupy the same refrigerator shelf. From a sustainability standpoint, however, they are playing three very different games. The global beverage packaging industry expands while simultaneously being pushed towards lower carbon emissions, higher recycled content and better packaging circularity. Estimates compiled for this analysis place the broader global beverage packaging market at USD 157.7 billion in 2023, with the market projected to reach USD 222.1 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5 per cent. Alternative methodologies put the market at USD 184 billion in 2025 and USD 283.7 billion by 2034. Whichever methodology is used, one thing is clear that...
India’s 8.25% aluminium import levy pushes MSME raw material costs higher despite domestic metal surplus
India may be the world’s second-largest producer of primary aluminium, but for thousands of small manufacturers further down the value chain, access to domestically produced metal at globally competitive prices remains a pressing concern. The issue has returned to the centre of India’s aluminium policy debate, with import-parity pricing and the effective 8.25 per cent import levy on primary aluminium increasingly being cited by downstream manufacturers as factors raising their raw material costs. The concern is growing as primary aluminium can account for as much as 80 per cent of the production cost of downstream manufacturers. For micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) operating on thinner margins, even relatively small movements in the cost of metal can therefore have an outsized...
Vedanta Aluminium opens post-demerger chapter with 205% profit surge and record 632 KT output
Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited has opened its first full reporting chapter as an independent listed aluminium producer with record production and sharply higher earnings. For the quarter ended June 30, 2026 (Q1 FY27), the company reported profit after tax (PAT) of INR 65.97 billion, up 205 per cent year-on-year and 33 per cent sequentially, alongside its highest-ever quarterly aluminium production. The numbers put both scale and profitability at the centre of Vedanta Aluminium’s post-demerger story. Revenue climbed 45 per cent year-on-year and 13 per cent quarter-on-quarter, supported by higher volumes and improved realisations. EBITDA more than doubled from the year-ago period, surging 134 per cent . Compared with Q4 FY26, EBITDA increased 24 per cent. The company’s EBITDA margin...
