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.
66% and counting: China leads aluminium extrusions as India’s demand nears 858,000 tonnes
The centre of gravity of the global aluminium extrusion market is increasingly difficult to locate anywhere but Asia. China already sits at a scale that no other extrusion-producing country approaches. AL Circle's The World of Aluminium Extrusions – Industry Forecast to 2030 estimated China's aluminium extrusion usage at 20.94 million tonnes in 2023, against global consumption of approximately 31.5 million tonnes. That means, roughly two out of every three tonnes of aluminium extrusions consumed worldwide were used in China. The same study estimated that Chinese extruders had more than 30 million tonnes of annual capacity, while China's extrusion demand could approach 27.5 million tonnes by 2030. On the other hand, India operates on an entirely different scale, but perhaps on a more...
Digital visibility for aluminium is a must: Getting found is as crucial as getting produced
Across the aluminium value chain, for manufacturers, traders, recyclers, machinery suppliers and service providers, securing business depends upon product quality, production capacity or pricing. But in an increasingly digital business environment, being easily discoverable by prospective buyers has become an equally important part of the sales journey. Today, procurement teams often begin supplier searches through specialised B2B marketplaces that allow them to compare companies, products and capabilities within a single platform. For suppliers, this means that visibility — where a company appears, how its products are presented and how easily buyers can find relevant information — can play a significant role in generating business enquiries. Recognising this growing importance of...
Can kaolin redefine the HPA supply chain? Andromeda advances pilot-scale production with gallium upside
Australia's Andromeda Metals has moved a step closer to commercialising an alternative route to high-purity alumina (HPA), commissioning its pilot plant to transition from laboratory-scale production to a continuous manufacturing process using Great White kaolin as feedstock. The milestone marks the company's next phase in developing HPA outside the conventional aluminium feedstock route. The pilot programme, scheduled to run through the third quarter of 2026, is expected to generate commercial-grade 4N HPA samples in the second half of the year for customer qualification while providing engineering data for future feasibility studies. Unlike traditional HPA production, which typically relies on aluminium metal through the alkoxide process, Andromeda's proprietary technology uses refined...
NALCO seeks waiver of stock exchange penalty over SEBI board composition non-compliance
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has approached the BSE and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) seeking a waiver of penalties imposed for non-compliance with board composition requirements under the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, maintaining that the lapse arose from circumstances beyond the company's control. The state-owned aluminium producer received communications from both stock exchanges on May 27, 2026, informing it of a penalty of INR 5,31,000 (USD 5,548) each, including 18 per cent GST on a basic fine of INR 4,50,000 (USD 4,702), for failing to comply with Regulation 17(1) of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations during the quarter ended March 31, 2026. Together, the penalties amount to INR 10.62 lakh. The issue was subsequently reviewed...
Cameroon's billion-tonne bauxite project moves closer to exports as CAMALCO clears key rail hurdle
One of Africa's largest undeveloped bauxite deposits has moved a step closer to global markets, with CAMALCO preparing to launch rail transportation from its flagship Minim Martap project in Cameroon. The milestone removes a critical logistics hurdle ahead of commercial production and positions the country to emerge as a new supplier in the global bauxite trade. The Cameroonian subsidiary of Australia's Canyon Resources has signed a rail operations agreement with Camrail, paving the way for bauxite to be transported from the Minim Martap mine in the Adamawa Region to the Port of Douala through the country's existing railway network. The agreement forms a key part of the project's mine-to-port logistics strategy, enabling future exports of one of the world's largest untapped high-grade...
IEA flags mounting energy security risks as Iran conflict threatens global oil flows
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that escalating tensions involving Iran are increasing risks to global energy security, with concerns centred on potential disruptions to key oil transit routes and critical energy infrastructure across the Middle East. According to the agency, the deteriorating geopolitical situation has heightened uncertainty in international oil markets, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, two of the world's most strategically important maritime chokepoints for crude oil and refined petroleum shipments. Any sustained disruption to these corridors could significantly impede global energy trade. Despite the heightened risks, the oil market has so far demonstrated resilience, supported by alternative supply channels and...
Nigeria's Aluminium Extrusion Plc shares suspended over delayed financial reporting
Trading in the shares of Nigeria-based Aluminium Extrusion Plc has been suspended on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) after the company failed to submit its audited financial statements for the financial year ended December 31, 2025, within the regulatory deadline. The suspension, which took effect on July 22, 2026 , was imposed by NGX Regulation Limited under the Exchange’s Rules for Filing of Accounts and Treatment of Default Filing , following the expiry of the prescribed cure period granted to the company. According to the Exchange, issuers that do not file their required financial statements within the stipulated timeframe are subject to trading suspension until compliance is achieved. To know the production, demand and consumption forecasts of aluminium casting, explore our report "...
Aluminium grabs the headlines, but the LME alumina price trend quietly rewrites margins, economics and supply risk
Aluminium prices command the market's attention because they determine the value of the finished metal that carmakers, packaging manufacturers and construction firms ultimately buy. Yet one step up the supply chain, a quieter benchmark has spent the past three years doing something aluminium rarely does: moving on its own terms. Alumina, the intermediate product refined from bauxite and smelted into primary aluminium, surged past USD 800 per tonne in late 2024, lost more than half its value within months and, by mid-2026, was trading near USD 330 per tonne even as aluminium climbed towards multi-year highs. Traders focused solely on the LME aluminium price would have missed much of that story. The LME alumina price trend is where it began. Reading the LME alumina price trend through its...
2026 Middle East aluminium outlook: 5% of global supply, USD 7 million insurance and the Hormuz effect
On March 28, the US-Iran tension took a new turn as Iranian missiles struck the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi, damaging the alumina refinery that feeds Emirates Global Aluminium’s Al Taweelah smelter, the largest aluminium production complex in the Gulf. Four hundred kilometres south-west, Aluminium Bahrain declared force majeure and shut roughly a fifth of its capacity, citing the same conflict. Neither company builds weapons, ships crude, or has any stake in the war between the United States, Israel and Iran. For several weeks this spring, two of the world’s most competitive aluminium producers became collateral damage in someone else's fight. That is the detail worth sitting with, because it reframes the question the industry has been asking since renewed US-Iran hostilities put...
Beyond the tariff wall: Will Washington’s new aluminium incentive programme succeed where tariffs alone failed?
Seven years after Section 232 tariffs first shielded US aluminium producers, America still imports 60 per cent of the primary aluminium it consumes. That single statistic, buried in the US Geological Survey’s 2026 Mineral Commodity Summary, is the uncomfortable backdrop to President Trump’s latest move. On July 20, Trump signed a proclamation directing the Commerce Secretary to build an incentive programme around the existing aluminium tariff regime, alongside an executive order tightening critical mineral sourcing rules for defence contractors. The headlines called it tariff policy. The real question is narrower and more interesting: can a tariff discount , offered only to companies that build new smelting capacity, do what a decade of tariff walls could not? Why America still cannot...
Interstate scrap theft racket: 4 arrested for stealing 3.6 km of aluminium power conductor
Odisha Police have arrested four members of an alleged interstate scrap theft syndicate accused of stealing around 3.6 kilometres of 11 kV aluminium conductor from an electricity distribution network in Jharsuguda district, highlighting the growing challenge of organised metal theft targeting power infrastructure. The arrests were made by Kolabira Police as part of 'Operation Netra', an ongoing drive against organised property crimes. The accused allegedly operated across state borders, targeting aluminium conductors because of their high scrap value and ease of disposal through informal recycling channels. The accused, Abdul Khyyam (46) of Telibhata, Ashraf Raza (26) of Purunabasti in Jharsuguda, Abdul Rahim (35) of Jharkhand and Ajmail Mir (48) of West Bengal, were arrested following an...
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Part 2: Does every stakeholder in Europe’s aluminium scrap debate fully understand the recycling business model?
In Part 1 of this interview, Stefanie Dixon challenged some of the biggest assumptions shaping Europe's aluminium scrap debate, arguing that recycling policy cannot be built on tonnage figures alone. Stefanie is a strong advocate for evidence-based policymaking and believes that effective regulation must be built on a clear understanding of how the recycling industry actually works. Having worked directly with recyclers, processors, traders and foundries across international markets, she brings a unique value-chain perspective that bridges the gap between policy, manufacturing and the commercial realities of recycling. In this second instalment, the discussion moves beyond the fundamentals to examine the policy, investment and market reforms needed to strengthen Europe's recycling...
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Part 1: Does every stakeholder in Europe’s aluminium scrap debate fully understand the recycling business model?
In Part 1 of this exclusive interview with AL Circle, Stefanie Dixon, an international non-ferrous metals trading specialist with nearly two decades of experience in secondary raw materials, explains why aluminium scrap cannot be treated as a single commodity, why market dynamics matter as much as policy ambitions, and how a deeper understanding of alloy chemistry, quality and commercial realities could reshape the debate around Europe's recycling future. Her work focuses on international aluminium scrap markets, recycling economics, commodity trading and the interaction between policy and market dynamics. She is a strong advocate for evidence-based policymaking and believes that effective regulation must be built on a clear understanding of how the recycling industry actually works. AL...
Why do aluminium traders already need the LME 2025-2035 trading calendar?
Imagine it is the final trading week of December 2031. A cargo vessel loaded with Guinean bauxite is approaching a Chinese port after weeks at sea. An aluminium smelter in the Middle East is preparing to price its next monthly shipment to an automotive customer in Europe. A commodity trader in Singapore is rolling forward a hedge linked to the London Metal Exchange (LME), while a bank in London is calculating the value of aluminium inventories pledged as collateral under a trade finance facility. Thousands of kilometres apart, these activities appear unrelated. Yet they all depend on one common factor: whether the LME is open for business. To many outside the metals industry, the LME’s trading calendar is simply a schedule of exchange holidays and trading days. However, for aluminium...
Three years in: Has India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme delivered for the aluminium industry?
For decades, India's aluminium industry has measured competitiveness through production costs, operational efficiency and access to raw materials. Today, another metric is steadily moving onto boardroom agendas: carbon intensity. The shift is not being driven solely by climate commitments. Export regulations such as the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), investor expectations around ESG performance and customers seeking lower-carbon materials are collectively changing how aluminium is produced, traded and valued. Against this backdrop, India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), introduced in 2023, represents far more than another environmental regulation. It is the country's first attempt to place an economic value on industrial emissions and gradually integrate...
From 4.5-micron aluminium foil to mono-material packs: Engineering packaging’s shift
As packaging manufacturers face growing pressure to reconcile performance, recyclability and supply security, integrated manufacturing is emerging as a strategic advantage. Jupiter Group is building across the value chain, spanning aluminium rolling and ultra-thin foil to inks, engraving and flexible packaging. In this conversation with AL Circle, Kunal Bajaj discusses mono-material innovation, precision manufacturing, decarbonisation, backward integration and how India can scale globally competitive packaging solutions without compromising environmental accountability or operational resilience. Bajaj is a second-generation entrepreneur and Promoter at Jupiter Group, where he oversees a diversified manufacturing portfolio spanning flexible packaging, aluminium foils, flat-rolled aluminium...
Crisis-risk rates near 3% as US-Iran conflict puts 6.16 Mt GCC aluminium industry back on Hormuz watch
The Strait of Hormuz is back at the centre of the US-Iran conflict, and the cost of moving ships through the Gulf is already responding. War-risk insurance rates for ships inside the Gulf have risen from around 2 per cent of vessel value at the end of last week towards 3 per cent in the past 24 hours, Reuters reported on July 8, citing industry sources. The renewed shipping tension has emerged for the aluminium industry, while the 6.16 million-tonne GCC primary aluminium industry is still dealing with the effects of the earlier disruption. Importantly, more than 80 per cent of the region's aluminium output is exported. Three ships were attacked as Hormuz traffic remains fragile The latest confrontation followed projectile attacks on three commercial vessels in and around the Strait. The...
Canada’s aluminium exports jump 50.7% as trade surplus reaches four-year high
Canada’s merchandise trade surplus expanded to CAD 4.2 billion in May 2026, its strongest level in four years, as a sharp rise in unwrought aluminium and aluminium alloy exports helped lift the country’s overall outbound trade to a record high. According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, the trade surplus widened from CAD 3.4 billion in April, marking the country’s third consecutive month in positive territory. Total merchandise exports increased 0.9 per cent month-on-month to a record CAD 77.1 billion, while imports edged 0.2 per cent lower to CAD 72.9 billion. For the aluminium industry, May brought a particularly strong increase in overseas shipments. Exports of unwrought aluminium and aluminium alloys surged 50.7 per cent during the month, making the category the largest...
