AlCircle News Edited By "Staff Editor"
Sampat Aluminium revenue rises to ₹1,250m as one-off gain lifts profit
Sampat Aluminium Limited reported a net profit of INR 47.4 million (USD 502,121) for the half year ended September 30, 2026, supported by a non-recurring gain of INR 57.1 million (USD 604,875) from the sale of old plant and machinery. The company's revenue from operations increased to INR 1,250.9 million (USD 13.25 million) from INR 811.4 million (USD 8.60 million) in the corresponding period last year. However, its profit before exceptional items and tax declined significantly, highlighting the impact of the machinery sale on reported earnings. The company's profit before exceptional items and tax stood at INR 5.887 million (USD 62,363), compared with INR 62.5 million (USD 662,079) in the first half of the previous financial year. After including the exceptional gain, profit before tax...
ABB gives Southwest Aluminum's cold-rolling operations a digital upgrade
ABB will supply integrated automation, process control and digital technologies for two cold-rolling mills operated by Southwest Aluminum (Group) Co., Ltd. in Chongqing, China, as the aluminium producer expands and modernises its wide-strip manufacturing capabilities. Both mills are expected to be fully commissioned and operational by the end of 2027. The project involves a 2,500 mm two-stand six-high cold rolling mill and a 3,000 mm single-stand six-high cold rolling mill. ABB's technology package will include its Ability System 800xA distributed control system, drives, flatness control, sensing and measurement technologies. The two production lines will use standardised automation architectures designed to improve compatibility between systems, establish consistent operating...
Trimet seeks changes to Alcoa-South32 deal, concerned over reduced independent alumina supply in Brazil
German aluminium producer Trimet has proposed a series of measures to address competition concerns over Alcoa’s proposed acquisition of South32’s alumina and bauxite assets . These include the sale of integrated bauxite-mining and alumina-refining assets in Brazil or Western Australia, changes to ownership links in Alumar and MRN, and greater transparency and independent monitoring of alumina price reporting. Trimet has also asked Brazil's competition regulator, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), to block the deal, saying it would reduce the number of independent smelter-grade alumina suppliers in the country from three to two. The company said the combined entity could control approximately 51.8 per cent of Brazil's merchant alumina sales, leaving Glencore with the...
Bell Bay Aluminium navigates workforce changes after government-backed rescue
Bell Bay Aluminium (BBA), Australia's oldest aluminium smelter, is reviewing its workforce and offering redundancies for a small number of positions, just over a month after receiving an AUD 200 million (USD 137.52 million) government support package aimed at securing the facility's future until at least 2031. Up to 10 roles are understood to have been affected by the review, although the smelter is expected to retain its existing workforce of approximately 550 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. Some redeployment opportunities will also be available, while the positions identified are not understood to involve frontline services. The changes reportedly include some former participants in Bell Bay Aluminium's graduate programme. Rio Tinto, which operates the smelter near George Town in...
Atlas Metals terminates UPSA acquisition as lithium and graphite deals take priority
Atlas Metals Group plc has terminated its proposed acquisition of Universal Pozzolanic Silica Alumina Ltd (UPSA), ending a transaction first announced in June 2025, as the company shifts its acquisition focus towards lithium and graphite assets in Africa and South America. The natural resources and energy company said the decision followed recent due diligence difficulties and actions by UPSA representatives that it believes materially changed the merits and viability of the transaction. Atlas Metals is also seeking to recover material amounts owed to it by UPSA. The proposed acquisition was initially announced on June 17, 2025, with the signing of a conditional share purchase agreement (SPA) disclosed on September 10, 2025. However, the company has now decided to terminate the agreement,...
Century Aluminum gets a production boost as Iceland smelter restarts, lifting Q3 performance
Century Aluminum Company reported stronger financial results for the third quarter of 2026, as the restart of Line 2 at its Grundartangi facility in Iceland helped increase aluminium shipments, net sales and profitability. The production recovery, combined with favourable realised metal prices, supported a rise in net income to USD 302.6 million, compared with USD 249.3 million in the second quarter. The company's net sales reached USD 961.2 million during the quarter ended September 30, 2026, marking a sequential increase of USD 209.1 million. Aluminium shipments also climbed to 173,483 tonnes from 130,632 tonnes in the preceding quarter, reflecting the contribution of Line 2 returning to near-full production during the reporting period. The improvement in earnings was primarily driven...
South32 maintains June 2027 timeline for Alcoa's acquisition of aluminium assets
South32 expects the sale of its aluminium value chain assets to Alcoa to be completed in the six months ending June 2027. The proposed transaction covers its aluminium operations and related bauxite and alumina assets in South Africa, Australia and Brazil. The sale follows a binding conditional agreement signed by the two companies, under which Alcoa agreed to acquire the assets for up to USD 5.6 billion . The assets include South32's Hillside Aluminium smelter and the idled Bayside smelter in South Africa, its interests in the Boddington bauxite mine and Worsley alumina refinery in Australia, and the Mineração Rio do Norte bauxite mine and Alumar alumina refinery and aluminium smelter in Brazil. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our...
Novelis Q2 sees net sales rise 25% while rolled product shipments fall 2%
Novelis reported a 20 per cent year-on-year increase in adjusted EBITDA to USD 508 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2027, while rolled product shipments declined 2 per cent to 919,000 tonnes. Net sales rose 25 per cent to USD 5.9 billion from USD 4.7 billion in the corresponding quarter last year, mainly due to higher average aluminium prices. Higher shipments of beverage packaging and aerospace products were partly offset by lower volumes in automotive and speciality products. Net income attributable to Novelis' common shareholders increased 29 per cent to USD 210 million, compared with USD 163 million a year earlier. Excluding special items, net income also rose 29 per cent to USD 146 million. Explore further insights and forecasts for the aluminium flat rolled products...
A turnaround on the balance sheet: Indus Aluminium Recyclers returns to profit
Indus Aluminium Recyclers Limited returned to profitability in the half year ended September 30, 2026, reporting a net profit of INR 1.73 million (USD 18,300), compared with a loss of INR 20 million (USD 211,900) in the corresponding period last year. The turnaround came despite a decline in revenue, as a substantial reduction in reported expenses helped improve the company's financial performance. Revenue from operations slipped to INR 129 million (USD 1.37 million) from INR 134.3 million (USD 1.42 million) in the first half of the previous financial year. However, total expenses declined to INR 129.4 million (USD 1.37 million) from INR 161.7 million (USD 1.71 million), allowing the company to move back into profit. Sharp reduction in other expenses supports profitability The most...
From raw resources to battery-ready materials: Australia's downstream ambitions take shape
Australia could turn more of its aluminium and copper resources into higher-value battery components, with a new report from national science agency CSIRO identifying opportunities to strengthen the country's domestic battery manufacturing capabilities. The report, The Future of Australian Battery Manufacturing: Cell Cans and Current Collector Foils, examines how Australia could use its existing industrial expertise, materials and manufacturing capabilities to produce key components for lithium-ion and emerging sodium-ion batteries. Rather than focusing solely on the country's critical mineral resources, the analysis explores practical ways to move further downstream and capture more value through local manufacturing. The opportunity comes as global demand for batteries continues to grow,...
A sunnier future for Egyptian aluminium: Egyptalum's aluminium decarbonisation drive advances as Scatec begins 569 MW solar project
Scatec has begun construction of the first phase of a major solar power project that will supply renewable electricity to the Aluminium Company of Egypt (Egyptalum), advancing the Egyptian producer's efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of its aluminium operations. The first phase of the Dandara Solar Power project comprises a 569 MW solar plant supported by a 100-MWh battery energy storage system. The Norwegian renewable energy company has also signed loan agreements to finance the development, which was first announced in 2025. Under a 25-year power purchase agreement, the facility will supply clean electricity to Egyptalum. Once operational, the first phase is expected to generate approximately 1.4 TWh of renewable power annually and avoid more than 550,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide...
NTPC Green Energy targets 60 GW by 2032; 16 GW renewable power hub planned
NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL) plans to expand its renewable energy capacity from around 12 gigawatts (GW) to 60 GW by 2032, marking a major step in its clean-energy expansion strategy. The target forms part of parent company NTPC Limited’s broader ambition to reach 149 GW of installed power capacity, supported by renewable energy, thermal expansion and a proposed entry into nuclear generation. The roadmap was outlined by P. Rahul, Deputy General Manager, Business Development – Green Hydrogen at NGEL, during the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit and Expo 2026. Alongside renewable capacity additions, the company is advancing green hydrogen, energy storage and green chemicals projects. To learn about the market potential of aluminium dross, explore "ALuminium Dross Processing: Generation,...
Impact Minerals proposes name change as Lake Hope HPA development advances
Impact Minerals has proposed changing its corporate name to Altrica Advanced Materials as it sharpens its focus on high-purity alumina (HPA) development. The proposed rebranding reflects the company's strategic shift towards its 80 per cent-owned Lake Hope project in Western Australia, which has become its principal priority for management attention and development capital. The name change will require shareholder approval through a special resolution at the company's annual general meeting scheduled for November 30, 2026. The proposal follows an October strategic review that established a clearer direction for the company's HPA activities while separating them from its earlier focus on precious and base metals exploration. Lake Hope remains central to HPA development strategy The Lake...
The recycling blind spot: AI reveals why aluminium aerosols are harder to recover
Aluminium aerosol cans are significantly less likely to be recovered during recycling operations than conventional drinks cans, according to new research by waste intelligence company Greyparrot. An AI-powered analysis of waste streams found that aluminium aerosols recorded a sorting success rate of 68 per cent, compared with 85.3 per cent for drinks cans, highlighting the challenges faced by recycling facilities in recovering non-beverage aluminium packaging. The findings were generated through Greyparrot's Deepnest platform, which analysed 1.2 billion waste items across facilities in the UK, the US and the Netherlands, including 395,424 aerosols. The results were discussed during a recent webinar involving representatives from waste management company Biffa, packaging manufacturer Ball...
KAP Minerals and Cymat sign MoU to develop Canadian scandium-aluminium alloy supply chain
KAP Minerals and Cymat Technologies are exploring a partnership to produce scandium-aluminium master alloy in Ontario, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding. The partnership would use scandium oxide from KAP’s Kapuskasing critical minerals project and Cymat’s aluminium-processing technology to produce alloys for aerospace, defence and manufacturing applications. To know the global production, demand and consumption forecasts of aluminium extrusions, explore our report " The World of Aluminium Extrusions to 2035 " Scandium-aluminium alloys can improve strength, performance and weldability while reducing weight. The companies aim to use the proposed venture to establish a domestic supply chain, converting Canadian critical minerals into value-added industrial materials....
Glencore defends Aurukun bauxite project progress amid scrutiny of proposed Rio Tinto sale
Glencore has defended its progress on the Aurukun bauxite project in Queensland, saying it has met all commitments under its licence conditions, as calls for greater scrutiny mount over its proposed sale to Rio Tinto. Queensland MP Robbie Katter, a member of the Parliamentary Primary Industries and Resources Committee, is seeking an inquiry into the deal. The reported sale value has been put at USD 250 million, though this figure has not been confirmed. Katter questioned why a multinational company should hold a public resource without developing it and then sell its interests. He said, “That resource is owned by the people of Queensland, it’s not the government’s to play around with, or for any of these global mining companies to just trade.” Explore the production, demand and...
LME aluminium cash bid on November 4 climbs to $53.50/t, cancelled warrants climb 4.47%
LME aluminium prices gained ground on November 4, with cash and futures contracts moving higher. The Asian Reference Price also edged up, while exchange inventories declined. Alumina Platts prices, however, moved slightly lower. The cash bid rose by USD 53.50 per tonne , or 1.74 per cent, to USD 3,134.50 per tonne from USD 3,081 per tonne. The cash offer increased 1.72 per cent to USD 3,135 per tonne from USD 3,082 per tonne. Three-month aluminium prices also advanced. The bid climbed 1.08 per cent to USD 3,073 per tonne on November 4 from USD 3,040 per tonne, while the offer gained 1.05 per cent to USD 3,074 per tonne. It was previously at USD 3,042 per tonne . Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: " Global Bauxite & Alumina Market...
From losses to profits: VALCO sets sights on 1.5 million tonnes of alumina
The Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) has reported a provisional profit of USD 1.3 million within the first nine months of 2026, signalling progress in its efforts to restore operations and strengthen its financial position. The Ghanaian aluminium producer has also outlined an ambitious expansion target of processing 1.5 million tonnes of alumina within the next decade, supported by an estimated USD 4 billion investment. VALCO CEO Dr Robert Makila Sambian said the company was now focused on strategic capital investment to achieve its long-term production ambitions. He shared the update during the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources' Progress Report Series, an initiative through which agencies under the ministry present updates on their activities and performance to the media....
