AlCircle News Edited By "Rupankar Majumder"
A professional with a technical background, specialising in producing insightful content centred around metals, particularly aluminium, passionately engaged in the intricacies of the recycling sector.
Anglo-Swiss commodity trader Glencore evaluates equity stakes in En+ Group among other Russian entities
On 1 st March 2022, Switzerland headquartered Anglo-Swiss multinational commodity trading and mining company Glencore stated that it is evaluating all its business activities in Russia comprising equity stakes in aluminium and hydropower group giant En+ Group among other firms in different sectors. The world's largest globally diversified natural resource company, Glencore, which is also listed at London Stock Exchange (LSE) holds a 10.5% stake in En+ Group, the dominion shareholder of the Russian aluminium giant. Glencore also has a 0.57% stake in Rosneft. Glencore further added, “We have no operational footprint in Russia and our trading exposure is not material for Glencore.” However, a set of Western companies has been splitting strap with Russia following its stand-off with Ukraine,...
ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel supplies range of aluminium components for Mercedes-Benz EQS’, an all-electric luxury sedan
The European leader in the business of manufacturing and sales of aluminium rolled products for diverse industries worldwide, ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel will supply its range of aluminium products Ecolite and Superlite to Mercedes-Benz AG to fit in Mercedes-Benz EQS’ wings, doors, roof and side frame panels. Mercedes-Benz EQS’ is an all-electric 5 seater luxury sedan. The aluminium components are ideally suited for this particular section due to their lightweight. The green metal is also an inherently sustainable material, as it can be recycled infinitely, all while preserving its unique properties. Ecolite is manufactured at ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel as a range of products for inner panels and structural applications, while Superlite is the range of products for outer body panel...
Hindalco Industries set foot to divest entire stake in wholly-owned step-down subsidiary Hindalco Do Brasil
On 25 th February 2022, the Mumbai, India headquartered Hindalco Industries publicized that it has entered into a share purchase agreement with Terrabel Empreedimentos Ltda, to divest the entire equity shareholding of Hindalco Do Brazil Industria Comercia de Alumina LTDA (HDB). Terrabel Empreedimentos Ltda, a Brazilian firm who are in the business of commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing. The Brazil-based Hindalco Do Brazil Industria Comercia de Alumina with its head office in Ouro Preto is a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of Hindalco Industries, the metals flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, and is the world's largest aluminium rolling and recycling company. However, the consideration received from disposal is one Brazilian real, whereas,...
GCC’s largest aluminium producer ‘Emirates Global Aluminium’ books record profit of $1.5 billion for 2021
The largest primary aluminium in the GCC region and the biggest non-oil industrial entity of UAE, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) booked a record whopping 1,140% rise in net profits for 2021 to $1.5 billion. The company earning depicts a bulls-eye of sharp turn following the disruptions rooted in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to AED 9.0 billion ($2.5 billion) for 2021, from AED 4.1 billion ($1.1 billion) for 2020. However, net profit was AED 5.5 billion ($1.5 billion), an increase of 1,140% compared to AED 445 million ($121 million) in 2020. EGA’s delivered the strongest-ever results and accredits it to the strong global market for aluminium as economies recovered from COVID-19, solid operational performance throughout the value chain, and a focus on...
ABx Group, Alumin inks joint venture agreement for Sunrise Bauxite Project development
The Australia-based hi-technology and explorer-developer company, ABx Group Limited has signed a joint venture agreement with Alumin Pty Ltd (Alumin) towards the development of the Sunrise Bauxite Project, which comprises a bauxite mine at Binjour plateau and port operations at Bundaberg in Queensland. Binjour is located 115km inland of Bundaberg. Alumin Pty Ltd. is an Australian special purpose vehicle company correlated with ABx Group’s strategic marketing partner, Rawmin India, that have substantial experience in funding long term sustainable investments in the development of projects involving mining and bulk-shipping of metallurgical grade bauxite to end-users around the world. In accordance with the agreement, Alumin will finance up to A$18 million of the development costs. However,...
Vedanta Aluminium tends to pivot on backward integration; plans to functionalize two coal mines for securing raw materials at CPP
The global manufacturing industry encountered the deadly Covid pandemic with plenty of dents, the aluminium sector was also one of those challenges. However, India’s mining and metal giant, Vedanta's aluminium business, counter the pandemic well and was not heavily impacted. Now, it tends to focus on backward integration in the next fiscal and plans to functionalize two of its coal mines in Odisha to secure the supply of raw materials at its Captive Power Plants, as reported by a top-level executive of the company. Rahul Sharma, the CEO of Vedanta Aluminium said, “In the coming financial year, the company's 'focus would be on backward integration.” "Second is the raw material. We have some mines. We would like to operationalise one or two mines so that our raw material security becomes...
Lord Barker must quit from En+ and resign from the House of Lords: Ben Wallace, UK Defence Secretary
The Defence Secretary of the United Kingdom, Ben Wallace has stated his words very strongly following the ongoing Russia-Ukraine military conflict that the former Energy Minister Lord Barker must step down from his Chairmanship at the Russian aluminium and energy giant En+ Group and also must resign from the House of Lords. Lord Barker holds the post of executive chairman at En+ after the group’s major shareholder Russian industrial tycoon Oleg Deripaska stepped down in regards to sanctions-related matters. However, Lord Barker preserves his seat in the House of Lords while working full-time for the company. On 27 th February 2022, the Defence Secretary further added to his statement, “Lord Barker must sever ties with the Russian company and quit the House of Lords for good.” During the...
Russia-Ukraine conflict will hinder further coal supply to CPPs, aluminium among other industries to suffer: ICPPA
On 25 th February 2022, the Indian Captive Power Producers Association (ICPPA) stated that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine military strife, which has propelled the global energy prices to scale up, will diminish the proclivity to import coal by power plants and will further disrupt the supply of fuel to the captive power plants that support by supplying energy to industries like aluminium among others from state-owned Coal India. The CPP industries while finding themselves on the wrong side of abrupt changes in the policy implementation curtailing coal supplies, established an industry body in 2005, Indian Captive Power Producers Association (ICPPA). “Amid rising energy prices globally, electricity producers will pressure the government for domestic coal to fulfil their demand, which will...
Podback scheme: Morrisons Supermarket offer customers a way to recycle used aluminium coffee pods
The fourth-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, Morrisons has become the first supermarket to offer its customers a smart way to recycle coffee pods through a partnership with the recycling scheme Podback. In the upcoming weeks, Morrisons customers will be apt to fetch free Podback Collect+ recycling bags from its customer service desks. However, the Podback bags can be stuffed with used coffee pods at home, then taken to one of 6,500 collect plus delivered by Yodel drop off points around the UK. This also needs to be noted that all postage back to Podback is gratis. The Podback scheme will drive the used aluminium pods to turn out into aluminium ingots for new products, like beverage cans and used plastic coffee pods are turned into other plastic items, such as furniture....
South Africa’s largest cider exporter Savanna switch to aluminium cans due to severe glass shortage
On 24 th February 2022, Richard Rushton, the Chief Executive Officer of Distell, a global business with roots in South Africa, the leading cider exporter of the nation and the third-largest cider brand in the world, Savanna Dry delivered its preliminary unplanned reaction in regards to the beverage being sold in aluminium cans has remained optimistic. Since its launch, the cider brand’s beverage has been sold in bottles, but Distell which also owns brands like Hunter’s and Klipdrift, has been stumbling with an acute dearth of glass supply in South Africa, which compelled it to adapt aluminium cans. The supplies of glass have been a setback in South Africa since 2021 when large glass producers were forced to shut their furnaces due to pandemic lockdown and amid alcohol sales bans. Distell...
Rio Tinto commences tidy out toxic waste from Tiwai Point aluminium smelter site
The controlling shareholder of Tiwai Point aluminium smelter in New Zealand, Rio Tinto will commence transporting the hazardous stuff which is being stowed away at Tiwai Point, as the company initiates clearing up the site, a place where it has produced aluminium for over 50 years. The only aluminium smelter in New Zealand rolled under pressure to clean up the smelter site following it was disclosed that it has been stockpiling potentially toxic waste in storage facilities and a landfill. Although the prospect for the smelter has grown to stay open past its 2024 closure date, Chris Blenkiron, the Chief Executive and General Manager of NZAS said, “Regardless of the closure date or plan for the operation at Tiwai Point, Rio Tinto and NZAS are committed to remediating the site.” ”We are not...
Scottish Government stands strong amid confronting a potential financial exposure over Lochaber aluminium smelter deal
The devolved government of Scotland, the Scottish Government stands strong amid encountering an inherent financial disclosure of £161 million in regards to its connection in the Lochaber aluminium smelter acquisition deal by British Businessman, Sanjeev Gupta owned GFG Alliance. The Scottish Government officials stated, “There was extensive security on the deal and they were more than covered.” However, the Public Audit Committee at Holyrood was informed that the government’s financial exposure scaled to £161 million in 2021 from £37 million in 2020. The ministers of the government delivered a financial commitment to the GFG Alliance, the new buyer of the aluminium smelter at Fort Willian in 2016. Even so, the main lender of GFG Alliance, Greensill Capital, collapsed in 2021. Colin Cook,...
Hoffmann Neopac inks deal with world’s first industrial recycling plant for aluminium laminate composites Saperatec
The leading tube packaging manufacturer has become the first company of its kind to signs a deal with Saperatec, the world’s pioneer industrial recycling plant for aluminium laminate composites. The Saperatec pilot plant in Dessau, Germany has already demonstrated the capability to break down multilayer composite materials such as PE/AI into their individual materials. Neopac is a renowned manufacturer of tubes for pharmaceutical, cosmetics and dental industries, will supply its production waste to Saperatec’s industrial separation facility upon its opening in mid-2023. However, by applying a special washing technique, Saperatec splits plastic and aluminium layers without solvating them. During a laboratory study at Saperatec in 2021on various ABL tubes from Neopac demonstrated that the...
Rio Tinto warns of an emerging turmoil in the aluminium business, anticipates sanctions on QAL
The anticipation of sanctions is on the fear radar of one of Australia’s largest alumina refineries, Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL). The alumina refinery is majorly owned by Rio Tinto, who has alerted of an emerging turmoil to its aluminium business, while the Russian aluminium giant Rusal is the 20% stakeholder of QAL. The Gladstone, Australia based Queensland Alumina Limited operates a refinery, which was earlier been imposed with US sanctions in 2018. However, there has been no comment yet from QAL in regards to the sanctions or if any impact they are countering or predicting for the company. Notwithstanding, on 23 rd February 2022, the 80% stakeholder of QAL, Rio Tinto, has informed the investors that it was anxious about the soaring tensions, that is developing very tough...
Ireland businesses dismay over financial sanctions against Russia, Aughinish alumina refinery might find itself in the red zone
Following the succession of diplomatic entries to the Kremlin over the past few weeks, in regards to the standoff between Russia and Ukraine steering a manifestly dangerous whirl with the progress by Vladimir Putin, the Russian President to count that the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk will become independent republics. However, the European Union and the United States are concluding their first round of economic sanctions and more wide-ranging sanctions will be clasp in reserve to be applied if Russia progresses further with armed aggression against Ukraine. Now, looking at the circumstances, the Irish businesses are dismayed over the financial sanctions against Russia that will unsettle their supply chains, at a moment when international shipping was already depressed due to...
Hydro buys minority stake in US carbon capture firm Verdox towards utilization of emission reduction technology at aluminium smelters
On 22 nd February 2022, the Norwegian aluminium giant, Norsk Hydro has announced that it has picked up a minority stakeholding in the US carbon capture firm Verdox for $20 million and projects to utilize its technology at aluminium smelters in a drive to down emissions. The leading aluminium producer, Hydro however announced that plans in 2021 to axe its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 30% during this decade, which will navigate the company to attain net-zero by 2050 at the latest, in compliance with the 2015 Paris climate agreement delineated to restrict global warming. Eivind Kallevik, the Head of Hydro’s Aluminium Production Division said, “More and more customers are requesting metals produced with a smaller carbon footprint. The ultimate goal here is to deliver zero emissions from...
Meridian Energy unbolts door to negotiations with Tiwai Point aluminium smelter to keep it functional for another 12 years
The largest renewable energy of New Zealand, Meridian Energy’s Chief Executive Officer, Neal Barclay has unbolted the door to negotiations, which might drive Rio Tinto’s Tiwai Point aluminium smelter to remain functional for at least another 12 years considering 2034. On 23 rd February 2022, while reporting the company’s interim results, Neal Barclay said, “Meridian was still working on the assumption it would stop supplying power to the aluminium smelter (NZAS) when its current contract came to an end in December 2024.” He further added, “There were no current discussions with the smelter on a new electricity contract.” However, speaking to an analyst during a conference call, he firmly unlatched the doors for discussions, saying “Meridian was certainly not averse to having discussions....
Romania: Alesonor allies with Reynaers Aluminium for the Amber Forest complete suburb project
The developer of the first complete suburb – Amber Forest in Romania, Alesonor inks a partnership with Reynaers Aluminium Romania. The European developer of aluminium products for the building sector, Reynaers Aluminium will supply premium aluminium solutions for doors and windows, Reynaers Masterline 8 High Isolation, the latest system that incorporates high generation technology, for added energy efficiency and functionality. However, the co-operation supports Alesonor’s goals of delivering Amber Forest green homes (both villas and apartments) at the highest levels of quality, comfort, energy efficiency and modern design. Reynaers Aluminum has designed the new solutions according to the latest trends in the construction of low-energy buildings with maximum access to natural light,...
