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.
Rio Tinto partners with Volvo Group to supply low-carbon aluminium, among other materials
The world's leading metals and mining corporation, Rio Tinto, has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Volvo Group to create a strategic partnership where the Anglo-Australian multinational company will supply responsibly sourced low-carbon products and solutions to Volvo Group. In order to reduce Rio Tinto's carbon footprint, Volvo Group's sustainable autonomous haulage solutions will be piloted. The multi-materials partnership will empower Rio Tinto to progress sustainability commitments in its operations and supply chains. However, it will support Volvo Group, one of the world's most significant transport and infrastructure providers, in its ambition toward a net-zero future. The partnership targets to secure supplies of materials, including low-carbon aluminium, lithium,...
Hydro invests NOK 80 million in innovative digital technology at Ardal to strengthen low-carbon aluminium production
The HAL5000 pot control system is designed by the technology community at Ardal, providing more efficient control of aluminium production. As a result of upgrading electrolysis cells, the technology contributes to increased production, reduced electricity consumption, and lower CO2 emissions. Approximately six million Norwegian kroner will be saved every year as a result. Wenche Eldegard, the Plant Manager at Hydro Årdal, said, "It is inspiring that Hydro Årdal has the ability to make the production of a critically important material even better. Through this investment, we reduce electricity use equivalent to the consumption of over 400 households in Norway and CO2 emissions by 1,500 tonnes. The technology can be used at additional plants and significantly improves efficiency." The pot...
Final closure of Alro Slatina's operations may occur by May 2023: Constantin Popescu
The President of the Free Aluminum Union within Alro Slatina, Constantin Popescu stated that it is possible that Romanian aluminium producer Alro Slatina will cease operations by May 2023. Alro runs its operations with around 2000 employees. He referred to high energy prices as the primary cause of the closure. A number of aluminium facilities in Europe have been affected by high energy prices; some have lowered their production capacity, while others have shut down. On 9th September 2022, more than 100 trade unionists from the company picketed in front of the Ministry of Energy, demanding Virgil Popescu resign because they believed he was responsible for the factory's problems. Currently, only two out of five electrolysis units are functionalizing at Alro. According to trade union...
Adaro Energy aims to begin commercial operations of its aluminium smelter in Q1 2025
The first phase of PT Adaro Energy Indonesia Tbk's aluminium smelter in North Kalimantan will operate commercially in Q1 2025 with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes. Adaro is Indonesia's second-largest coal miner by production volume and most significant by market capitalization. Adaro strives to seize opportunities in the green economic sector, as it has taken several steps to take this opportunity. The Indonesian Green Industrial Estate in North Kalimantan will be the world's most significant green industrial area. Adaro is exploring a green economy by constructing an aluminium smelter in the industrial area of North Kalimantan. The smelter will have a production potential of up to 1.5 million tonnes annually. Mahardika Putranto H., the GM, Corporate Secretary and ESG Division Head at...
Hindalco's 25 MW solar plant in Singrauli district started producing electricity, paving the way toward low-carbon aluminium production
Hindalco Industries, India's leading aluminium producer, has begun generating electricity from a 25 MW solar plant in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, in addition to a captive power plant (CPP) at its Mahan facilities. As part of the ceremony, Mahan Aluminium's President, Senthil Nath, inaugurated the solar facility. Senthil Nath said, "The plant would generate 550 million units of electricity, reducing the consumption of 35,000 tonnes of coal and bringing down carbon emissions by 52,000 tonnes. The company aimed to increase the power generation capacity of the solar plant. Hindalco would use this power for internal needs and aluminium production." The President has been accompanied by Biswanath Mukherjee, the Senior Vice President and Human Resource Head, S Shashi Kumar, the head of Mahan...
Alumina weekly recap: Aughinish Alumina gets approval to expand red mud storage capacity; PLN agrees to supply energy to PT Bintan Alumina Indonesia until 2050
Alumina powder, also known as aluminium oxide, is a chemical compound mainly used to produce aluminium – one of the essential metals in advancing a low-carbon economy and throughout the global industry. In addition to being ideal for aluminium production, alumina also provides excellent hardness and chemical resistance, particularly in applications requiring durable materials. The week witnessed a few exciting events related to the alumina segment. The Russian aluminium giant Rusal-owned Aughinish Alumina gets clearance to expand its bauxite residue (red mud) storage capacity at the West Limerick refinery until 2039. While in Southeast Asia, PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the Indonesian government-owned corporation energy distributor, has inked an MoU to supply energy to PT Bintan...
India's primary aluminium producers operating margins likely to contract by 400-500 basis points in Q2 FY23: ICRA
On 8th September 2022, India's significant rating agency, ICRA, stated that the country's primary aluminium producers operating margins are likely to contract by 400-500 basis points (BPS) consecutively in the second quarter of 2022-23 on the aspect of high production cost. ICRA Limited (formerly Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited) was set up in 1991 by leading financial/investment institutions, commercial banks and financial services companies as an independent and professional investment Information and Credit Rating Agency. ICRA said, "Owing to a twin onslaught of correction in aluminium prices and elevated input costs, the estimated operating profitability of ICRA's sample set of domestic players is likely to contract sequentially by almost 400-500 bps in...
Jamalco commemorates the first anniversary of the alumina refinery fire incident on August 22
Jamalco experienced one of the worst disasters in its 63-year history on 22nd August 2021 and marked 22nd August 2022 as the first anniversary of the fire incident at its alumina refinery. Jamalco is a joint venture between General Alumina Jamaica Limited and Clarendon Alumina Production Limited (CAP), focusing on bauxite mining and alumina production. Jamalco mines bauxite and refines it into alumina before it is exported from its port at Rocky Point, Clarendon. An extensive fire broke out at the company's powerhouse on Sunday, August 22, 2021, damaging it extensively and dislocating its source of power, compressed air, and steam used for refining operations. Production was halted for over ten months as a result of the event. A year later, the company reports that phase one of the...
ElementUS signed an exclusive agreement with LAlumina to process bauxite residue located at Burnside alumina refinery
ElementUS Minerals, LLC, a Dada Holding company, has announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement with the partners of LAlumina to process bauxite residue located at LAlumina’s refinery in Burnside, Louisiana. ElementUS is technologically advanced in extracting and refining strategic minerals, including pig iron, alumina and rare earth elements from bauxite residue with zero mining impact. The provider of ESG-friendly sources of critical materials, ElementUS, whose process will serve the dual purpose of extracting strategic minerals without the scars of mining activities and simultaneously cleaning up the environment by eliminating bauxite residue, is intended to be adapted and applied to many other alumina refining facilities around the world. However, this agreement marks a vital...
PLN agrees to supply energy to PT Bintan Alumina Indonesia until 2050
The Indonesian state-owned corporation PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), which has a monopoly on electric power distribution in the country, has agreed to supply the energy needs of mining company PT Bintan Alumina Indonesia (BAI) until 2050. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked in the previous week to mark the event. Adi Lumakso, the Regional Business Director for PLN's Sumatra and Kalimantan, said, "This MoU is PLN's commitment to supporting the industrial sector, especially mining. Along with easing the pandemic, we hope this government-private synergy will be able to revive the community's economy." "This MoU between PLN and PT BAI is to prepare electrical energy for the aluminium mining industry. PLN is committed to providing sufficient power to develop the industrial...
BMW Group begins production of fuel cells for iX5 Hydrogen; stack housing manufactured at Landshut facility
As part of the company's hydrogen competence centre in Munich, BMW AG's Chairman of the Board of Management Oliver Zipse and Frank Weber, BMW AG's Member of the Board of Management for Development, inaugurated fuel cell system production on 31 August. It marks the beginning of the global testing and demonstration of the BMW iX5 Hydrogen car for the end of this year. Adding fuel cells and high-performance batteries to the company's portfolio will add a unique form of the drive system for the premium segment to the company's portfolio. As a pioneer in this technology, BMW is pursuing a diversified transition to zero-emission mobility. On 31 st August 2022, Oliver Zipse stated in Munich, “As a versatile energy source, hydrogen has a key role on the road to climate neutrality. And it will...
Hydro's Wrexham aluminium recycling plant reaches its fifth anniversary with zero accidents
Hydro's aluminium recycling facility, based in Wrexham, has reached yet another safety milestone. This week marks the fifth anniversary of the company operating without an accident. Wayne Clifton, Managing Director, praised the hard work and commitment of the workforce, "Reaching five years accident-free is an excellent achievement made possible by our highly skilled and dedicated team". "At Hydro, safety is our number one priority, and a strong safety performance gives us our licence to operate and grow as a company", he added. Norsk Hydro invested a further £2.4 million this year in Wrexham to increase production capacity to 70,000 tonnes. The company has grown its skilled workforce, including introducing an engineering apprenticeship program through Coleg Cambria. The Managing Director...
Bahrain to reorganize the board of sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding
According to our report from the Gulf region, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, has issued an order to restructure the board of sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding with Finance Minister Salman bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa as its chairman. Mumtalakat reported its standalone annual results in June 2022, which revealed a rise in profit for 2021 from a loss in 2020. Further, Mumtalakat has slightly more than $18 billion in assets under management. The investment holding company’s strategic investments division holds a portfolio of Bahrain-based strategic investments in companies like Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill Company (GARMCO). Today, with an annual production capacity of over 165,000 tonnes, it ranks as one of the region's largest manufacturers of...
Primary aluminium production reflects a 27% rise in the first four months of the Iranian fiscal year: IMIDRO
IMIDRO reported that its subsidiaries had produced 222,053 tonnes of primary aluminium in the current fiscal year's first four months (March 21-July 22) to register a 27% increase in production compared with the same phase of the previous fiscal year. The Iranian Mines & Mining Industries Development & Renovation, known as IMIDRO, is a major state-owned holding company active in the mining sector in Iran. The South Aluminum Company contributed 95,853 tonnes to the total output. Iran Aluminum Company followed it with 61,478 tonnes, Almahdi Aluminum Company with 52,456 tonnes and Iran Alumina Company with 12,266 tonnes. Iran Alumina Company produced 80,986 tonnes of alumina powder in four months, the sole producer of alumina powder in Iran. The output increased by 7% compared to 75,396...
Russian gas pipeline remains shut, energy-intensive aluminium industry cuts production
The supply resumption of one of Russia's main gas routes to Europe on 3rd September 2022 was scraped, which sparked fears of winter fuel shortages. It highlighted a dispute between Gazprom and Siemens Energy over repairs to the pipeline. After its short maintenance, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was expected to resume its flow this week as European governments battle to control soaring gas prices. In spite of this, Russia abruptly cancelled the restart, citing an oil leak in a turbine. In the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine geopolitical crisis, Europe has accused Russia of weaponizing energy supplies, whereas Moscow blames Western sanctions and technical difficulties. Nord Stream's latest shutdown, which Russia says will last for as long as necessary to complete repairs, has added to fears...
India's leading alumina producer wins the 22nd Greentech Environment Awards-2022 in the category 'Environmental Protection’
On 2nd September 2022, Vedanta Limited-Lanjigarh stated that the country's foremost metallurgical grade alumina producer bagged multiple awards for its environmental, healthcare, and education initiatives. The alumina refinery bagged the first prize for ‘Environmental Protection’ at the 22nd Greentech Environment Awards-2022. Moreover, it took home top honours at the 9th Annual CSR India Award 2022 with its impactful initiatives in 'Promotion of Healthcare' and 'Promotion of Education'. GG Pal, the Deputy CEO at Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh, said, “Sustainable development through excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance practices is central to how we run our operations at Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh. We believe that our progress as an organization should create a long-term positive...
Dutch aluminium producer Aldel ceases all remaining production
On 2 nd September 2022, the Dutch aluminium producer Aldel announced facility in Farmsum will be placed in “care and maintenance” as of September 1, 2022. The company has stated that this step has been taken due to skyrocketing energy prices and a lack of government support. The Works Council meeting and other stakeholders were consulted before making this decision. Damco produces high-quality, value-added aluminium, essential for Europe's energy transition, and a highly skilled workforce. The company said, "A controlled pause makes it possible for (Aldel) to be ready to start production again when circumstances improve." The company had halted Delfzijl's primary production in October 2021, but recycled aluminium production continued. Damco can restart production after a controlled...
PyroGenesis Canada successfully validated the DROSRITE residue
As part of its joint venture and license agreement with a leading residue processor, PyroGenesis Canada Inc. has provided an update on its encouraging progress. The JV partner conducted preliminary residue testing from an operational DROSRITE facility. According to the results, the residues are of such high quality that they can be processed into highly marketable products. A high-technology company, PyroGenesis Canada Inc. develops and manufactures advanced plasma processes and sustainable solutions that reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and are economically attractive alternatives to conventional "dirty" methods. PyroGenesis Canada Inc. is a leader in this field. P. Peter Pascali, the CEO of PyroGenesis Canada, stated, "We are delighted to announce today that for the very first time, the...
