AlCircle News Edited By "Staff Editor"
Press Metal sees strong 2026 aluminium market, but 2027 brings fresh supply concerns
Press Metal Aluminium Holdings is still benefiting from a tight aluminium market in 2026, but cooling prices and a potential supply surplus in 2027 are making the outlook more balanced. The aluminium rally that helped lift expectations for Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd is beginning to lose some of its momentum. Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) remains positive about the company's underlying fundamentals but believes much of Press Metal's benefit from elevated aluminium prices has already been reflected in the market. With aluminium prices now easing and the market potentially moving into surplus next year, the risk-reward picture is becoming less one-sided. HLIB has therefore retained its 'Hold' rating on Press Metal while lowering its target price to MYR 8.34 from MYR 8.77....
Alunorte cuts alumina output to 50% as gas disruption threatens up to $100 million Q3 hit
Alunorte has temporarily cut alumina production to 50 per cent after disruptions in natural gas availability affected operations at the refinery. Natural gas supply constraints have prompted Alunorte to introduce contingency measures at its alumina refinery, as the company works to manage the impact of reduced gas availability on operations. Following a notification from its gas supplier, Alunorte introduced a series of contingency measures aimed at limiting the impact on production. These include purchasing gas from the spot market, seeking direct access to the Barcarena LNG receiving and regasification terminal, and adjusting alumina output in line with the available gas supply, as communicated by CELBA. The refinery plans to gradually restore production to full capacity once natural...
Jamalco goes off-grid as new power turbine targets $28m in annual alumina savings
Jamalco has switched on a new power turbine at its Jamaican alumina refinery, allowing the plant to generate all its electricity independently of the national grid and potentially cut production costs by around USD 28 million a year. Jamalco has taken a major step towards reducing the cost of producing alumina after bringing a new power-generation turbine online at its refinery in Clarendon, Jamaica. The turbine, known as TG4, allows the refinery to generate all of its own electricity, reducing its reliance on purchases from Jamaica's national grid. Century Aluminum, which owns a 55 per cent stake in the Jamalco joint venture, expects the change to deliver savings of around USD 20 per tonne of alumina. With Jamalco capable of producing around 1.4 million tonnes of alumina a year, that...
Aluminium lifts Maaden’s Q2 revenue 16% amid higher prices and strong regional premiums
Aluminium was Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (Maaden)'s best-performing business in Q2 2026, with revenue rising 49 per cent to USD 1.01 billion and EBITDA more than doubling to USD 411 million. This helped push the company’s total quarterly revenue up 16 per cent to USD 2.9 billion. For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, Maaden posted EBITDA of USD 1 billion, up 3 per cent from a year earlier, while net profit attributable to shareholders increased to USD 600 million. The aluminium business delivered its best quarterly financial performance since operations began, recording an EBITDA margin of 41 per cent. Average realised aluminium prices increased 51 per cent year-on-year to USD 3,915 per tonne, supported by strong regional premiums. Aluminium production, however, eased slightly to 242,000...
NALCO submits FY2025-26 sustainability report covering mines, refinery and smelter
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has submitted its Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) for FY2025-26 to the stock exchanges. The document forms part of the company's Annual Report for the financial year. The filing was made in accordance with the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. TÜV SÜD South Asia Pvt. Ltd. independently verified NALCO's sustainability disclosures. This was carried out between June 30 and July 20, 2026. To know the production, demand and consumption forecasts on bauxite and alumina, explore the report " Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook " Based on the assessment and evidence collected, TÜV SÜD concluded a reasonable level of assurance on the...
Hindalco’s ₹74 billion upstream aluminium EBITDA backs firm price outlook as Novelis' Oswego recovery continues
Hindalco Industries expects aluminium prices to remain firm at around USD 3,200–3,400 per tonne during the rest of 2026, supported by supply disruptions in the Middle East that continue to keep the global market tight. Managing Director Satish Pai said the company expects its upstream aluminium EBITDA per tonne to remain close to USD 2,000 for the remainder of the year. He added that downstream aluminium volumes are expected to improve over the coming quarters as recently commissioned rolling and extrusion projects continue to ramp up. Aluminium business delivers record quarter Hindalco's upstream aluminium business reported a record EBITDA of INR 74 billion (USD 775 million) in the April-June quarter of FY27, compared with INR 41 billion (USD 428 million) a year earlier. EBITDA per tonne...
Slimmer aluminium profiles, bigger views: Koemmerling brings Allure S46 to India
Koemmerling has launched its Allure S46 aluminium minimal sliding door system in India, designed to give modern homes and commercial spaces larger glass openings, slimmer sightlines and a cleaner connection between indoor and outdoor areas. What if your sliding door could give you more glass and less visible framing? That is the idea behind Koemmerling's new Allure S46 aluminium sliding door system, which has been introduced in India alongside the company's new experience centre in CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai. The system is designed for contemporary residential and commercial projects where large glazed openings, minimalist designs and seamless indoor-outdoor transitions are increasingly important. More glass, slimmer sightlines The Allure S46 is a non-thermal aluminium minimal sliding door...
Kaiser Aluminum delivers 52.7% revenue growth despite mixed investor sentiment
Kaiser Aluminum reported a sharp increase in quarterly revenue and earnings, while institutional investors continued to adjust their positions in the aluminium producer, highlighting a mixed picture around the company. Kaiser Aluminum Corporation has posted a strong quarterly performance, with revenue climbing 52.7 per cent year-on-year to USD 1.26 billion and earnings per share (EPS) reaching USD 5.53, more than double the consensus estimate of USD 2.66. The results put Kaiser Aluminum's underlying business performance in the spotlight even as some institutional investors have been changing their holdings in the company. Strong earnings put Kaiser Aluminum in focus The company's latest figures point to a significant improvement in quarterly performance. Kaiser Aluminum reported USD 5.53...
Maxion Wheels gives forged aluminium truck wheels a new defence against road grime
Maxion Wheels is taking a different approach to protecting forged aluminium truck wheels, introducing a new ceramic surface treatment designed to keep corrosion, road grime and other contaminants at bay while making the wheels easier to clean. The new technology, called Maxion C-GUARD, is being introduced alongside Maxion's latest range of forged aluminium truck wheels. The company says the treatment can provide long-term protection against the harsh conditions wheels face on the road, from brake dust and road salt to grease, mud and chemicals. For truck operators, that could mean a fairly simple benefit: less time spent cleaning and maintaining the wheels. A tougher surface for forged aluminium wheels Maxion C-GUARD is a proprietary ceramic surface treatment designed to form a permanent...
US backs Guyana bauxite to diversify the Bauxite supply chain
The US Government is putting US$85.5 million into Guyana's bauxite industry as Washington seeks to diversify its refractory-grade bauxite supply and reduce reliance on China and Chinese-owned sources. The investment could also strengthen Guyana's position in a strategically important segment of the global bauxite market. The funding, announced by the US Department of War on August 7, will support the acquisition and expansion of the First Bauxite mine in Guyana as part of a planned vertically integrated supply chain for refractory-grade bauxite. The US$85.5 million equity investment is being provided through the Department of War's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) programme. A further US$64.5 million in private-sector funding will bring the total investment committed under...
US aluminium tariff puts pressure on American buyers as Canada sees opening for trade deal
US aluminium buyers are bearing much of the cost of the country’s 50 per cent tariff on imported aluminium, according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who sees the resulting price pressure as a potential opening for a wider trade agreement between Canada and the US. Speaking to reporters outside a Rio Tinto aluminium facility in Quebec, Carney told US aluminium prices have risen sharply since the tariff was introduced in June 2025. The US aluminium producer price index increased 52 per cent between June 2025 and June 2026, he said. “Some of that is international prices, but most of that is pass-through of the tariff,” Carney said. “That’s not a good situation for American companies.” Aluminium becomes a key point in trade talks For Canada, the impact of higher US aluminium prices...
UK-based Eqonic confirms aluminium battery technology: envisions lower production costs
UK-based Eqonic Group has confirmed that aluminium will be the core material used in its next-generation battery technology. The company is moving towards industrial validation and commercial production. Its battery technology does not use lithium, sodium or rare earth materials and is designed to reduce material costs to around 30 per cent of those associated with conventional lithium-metal batteries. Eqonic is now preparing for industrial-scale testing to demonstrate the manufacturability, performance and reliability of the technology before commercial deployment. To know the production, demand and consumption forecasts of aluminium casting, explore our report " Global Aluminium Casting Market 2026-2032: Plant Economics, Alloy Segmentation, Pricing Intelligence, Supply Chain Analysis &...
Guinea signs bauxite mining deal with Nimba Mining, finance support by Glencore confirmed
Guinea has signed a new mining agreement with state-owned Nimba Mining Company. This is to restart operations at the former Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) bauxite mine and move forward with plans to build an alumina refinery. The agreement, announced by the Guinean presidency on August 3, marks the next stage in the government's plan to revive the bauxite project after withdrawing the mining concession from Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC). Nimba Mining Company was established in August 2025 to take over the project. The Guinean government revoked GAC's concession after the company failed to build the alumina refinery it had committed to as part of an earlier agreement. GAC had received tax exemptions in return for constructing the refinery, according to the authorities. To know the...
Bauxite mining project near Gulf of Kachchh marine sanctuary gets environmental recommendation
A bauxite and marl mining project in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district has been recommended for environmental clearance by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change at its meeting on July 29, subject to several conditions. The site is close to India's first marine wildlife sanctuary and marine national park. The proposed mine at Mevasa Block will cover more than five hectares and is located around 1.6 kilometres from the Marine Wildlife Sanctuary and about six kilometres from the Marine National Park along the southern shore of the Gulf of Kachchh. This raises questions about its environmental impact on the ecosystem. To know the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina, explore the report " Global Bauxite &...
BMW gives the X5 a greener makeover with recycled aluminium and renewable energy
BMW is proving that building a greener car is about much more than replacing a petrol engine with an electric motor. With the latest X5, the German carmaker has redesigned much of the vehicle's manufacturing process, using recycled materials, renewable energy and a circular production model that it says can reduce emissions by up to 40 per cent. Rather than focusing only on emissions from driving, BMW is tackling the carbon footprint created long before the vehicle reaches a customer, from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing, battery production and eventual recycling. Recycled aluminium and steel take centre stage Around half of the steel used in the vehicle's body now comes from electric arc furnace (EAF) steel, which relies heavily on recycled material and renewable electricity...
BALCO wins Odisha's Karlapat bauxite block after record 175% bidding war
Vedanta Group's Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (BALCO) has secured Odisha's Karlapat bauxite block after a fiercely contested auction pushed the final bid premium to a record 175 per cent, highlighting the intensifying competition among India's aluminium producers to secure long-term bauxite resources. Located in Kalahandi district, the Karlapat block contains more than 200 million tonnes (mnt) of bauxite spread across 3,100 hectares, making it the largest virgin bauxite resource currently offered by the Odisha government. The block was among 11 virgin mineral blocks auctioned on May 29, attracting strong interest from some of India's biggest industrial groups. Record auction reflects growing race for bauxite The bidding began with an opening premium of 108 per cent but quickly gathered...
A2MP takeover bid casts uncertainty over Canyon Resources' Minim Martap bauxite project
The future of one of Africa's largest undeveloped bauxite deposits has entered a new phase of uncertainty after A2MP Investments launched a takeover bid for Canyon Resources, raising questions over whether the company's flagship Minim Martap project will proceed as originally planned. A2MP, Canyon Resources' majority shareholder with a 55.56 per cent stake, has launched an unsolicited off-market takeover offer of AUD 0.05 (USD 0.035) per share, valuing the Australian mining company at approximately AUD 103 million (USD 72.1 million). The offer represents a 42.5 per cent discount to Canyon's closing share price of AUD 0.087 (USD 0.061) on July 28. While the proposal centres on acquiring the remaining shares in Canyon, it also signals a potential shift in strategy for the Minim Martap...
Kentucky's former aluminium smelter and uranium plant find new role as AI data centres
Former industrial sites across Kentucky, including an aluminium smelter, are being repurposed as hyperscale data centres as developers seek locations with existing high-capacity power infrastructure to support artificial intelligence (AI) projects. One of the most prominent examples is the former Century Aluminum smelter in Hancock County, which stopped production in 2022 after more than 50 years of operation because of high electricity costs. The closure resulted in the loss of more than 600 jobs, but the site's 482 MW grid connection capacity remained intact. That existing power capacity has now attracted hyperscale data centre developer TeraWulf, which acquired the property earlier this year. The company plans to convert the former aluminium smelter into a 482 MW AI-focused data...
