AlCircle News Edited By "Trisha Hazra"
Trisha Hazra is a rising digital marketing enthusiast who is passionate about writing and content creation. She is pursuing an MBA in Digital Marketing and is on a journey to blend creativity and aluminium with strategic insights.
LME aluminium slips as cash offer hits USD 3,093.5 per tonne, while stocks quietly build
After the close of the previous session, the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price declined across major contracts. However, there was a significant rise on the inventory front with a slight decline in the cancelled warrants on January 22. The LME cash bid declined by USD 19 per tonne or 0.6 per cent, moving from USD 3,112 per tonne to USD 3,093 per tonne. Alongside, the cash offer also inched down by USD 20.2 per tonne, shifting from 3,114 per tonne to USD 3,093.5 per tonne. Don’t miss out- Buyers are looking for your products on our B2B platform At the futures market, both the 3-month bid and offer inched down by USD 9 per tonne or 0.3 per cent, where the bid went down to USD 3,113.5 per tonne from USD 3,122.5 per tonne and the offer to USD 3,114 per tonne from USD 3,123 per...
NALCO’s red mud strategy links critical mineral recovery and construction use
Red mud, which is a result of alumina extraction, for decades now, has been treated as a hazard to the environment by the aluminium industry. But there shall be a change by an Indian aluminium company, which makes the entire industry rethink about its being a concern for the environment. India’s NALCO is currently undergoing research to discover ways to turn the waste, which is “red mud”, into usable building materials as well as the recovery of vital minerals. Based on the data shared by the industry, NALCO has a stockpile of nearly 7.13 million tonnes of red mud after producing alumina at its Odisha Damanjodi refinery. This accumulation is deemed to be rising as the firm predicts it will extract about 2.4 to 2.5 million tonnes of red mud each year as a byproduct from its refining...
Wagina Island stands defiant as communities shut the door on bauxite mining
Wagina Island in Choiseul Province received reaffirmation from the villagers and residents’ opposition to the proposed bauxite mining. This firm rejection came after a consultation meeting which involved government representatives, the proposed mining company and land lawyers. Nearly 100 per cent of the island's population, from seaweed farmer Para Tokananipiri and Wagina residents, have continuously protested, rejecting any type of mining project in the area. The latest consultation meeting took place in November 2025, which was attended by landowners, government officials, community members, lawyers and the representatives of Solomon Bauxite Limited (SBL). To this, Mr Tokananipiri said, "Almost every landowner and resident on Wagina Island attended that meeting, and the message was...
Ukraine’s 2025 bauxite imports climb strongly, reshaping raw material flows
The ongoing trade activities, as of 2025, Ukraine revealed various new signals spanning across the bauxite and aluminium raw materials landscape. This is mainly because in 2025, the country expanded its imports of bauxite by 23.7 per cent in physical terms, reaching 43.5 thousand tonnes in comparison to the previous year. Ukraine's bauxite imports in 2025 As per the statistics shared by the State Customs Service (SCS), in 2025, Ukraine's imports of bauxite expanded by 15.8 per cent, reaching USD 4.754 million in monetary terms. The major countries from where the imports were taken include Turkey, holding the lion's share of 81.84 per cent of supplies in monetary terms, followed by China at 15.97 per cent and then finally Guyana at 2.19 per cent. Unlike 2024 and 2023, the country did not...
From bauxite to critical minerals: NALCO charts a new strategic frontier
Note: This image is AI-generated for representation purpose only The state-owned & Navratna PSU, NALCO, a leading producing company in India, is now exploring diversifying from the traditional bauxite and alumina operations to high-value critical minerals. Indulging in these new explorations will aid the firm to support sectors like electronics, defence, electric vehicles and renewable energy. This push for finding high-value critical minerals directly links the firm’s efforts with India’s push for “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. NALCO's attempt to secure REE and critical minerals Brijendra Pratap Singh, the firm's Chairman and Managing Director, in an interview with PTI, confirmed that its bid advisor is undertaking the due diligence for the upcoming domestic auction for rare earth elements...
Vedanta Aluminium: Is rising bauxite risking the next earnings fault line?
The industry is well aware and versed that aluminium production is highly dependent on its raw material, bauxite, required from alumina refining to smelting. To date, aluminium has been the key revenue driver for Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium products, contributing nearly 40 per cent. However, in the current scenario, the company is becoming sensitive to the bauxite risk due to availability, regulatory approvals and the import costs, posing a direct impact on the firm’s overall financial results. Vedanta’s raw material security meets a crossroad A few days earlier, it was reported that the firm is attempting to secure bauxite supplies in order to support its core business, given the regulatory delays, resistance from local communities and vital legal...
LME aluminium cash offer slips to USD 3,147/t as the market turns sharply lower
On January 16, the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price dropped drastically from the previous day’s close, where LME cash and forwards contracts also slipped. There has been a dip in the inventory side, but the alumina platts remained unchanged. Both the LME cash bid and offer fell by USD 27 per tonne or 0.9 per cent, where the bid moved from USD3,173 per tonne to USD 3,146.5 per tonne and the offer from USD 3,174 per tonne to USD 3,147 per tonne. Don’t miss out- Buyers are looking for your products on our B2B platform The 3-month bid and offer also moved down by USD 37.5 per tonne or 1.2 per cent, where the bid shifted from USD 3,175.5 per tonne to USD 3,138 per tonne and the offer from USD 3,176 per tonne to USD 3,138.5 per tonne. A similar trend was witnessed at the forward...
Rashid Al Khalifa brings aluminium abstraction “Spectrum XXIV” to BRAFA
Europe’s oldest and most established art fairs, the 71st edition of BRADA Art Fair, unveiled Spectrum XXIV (2025) by Rashid Al Khalifa with the Boon Gallery. Initiated by Triyad, the presentation showcases Al Khalifa’s first participation in BRAFA, presenting the contemporary abstraction from the Gulf within an European art fair, which has historically been seen through dialogue between artistic periods. BRAFA, which has been previously recognised due to its emphasis on the continuity covering the artistic periods, shares the reference to the contemporary works which are displayed alongside the Old Masters, design and modern art. In this art fair, Khalifa's Spectrum XXIV has showcased a wider conversation that centres around craftsmanship, formal coherence and structure. Al Khalifa’s...
A fresh QCO puts aluminium cans and cookware under the compliance spotlight
While the Indian government is taking charge in reshaping its quality control orders (QCOs) with the aim of ameliorating the current compliance costs, it has issued a fresh order which focuses on the aluminium beverage cans and cookware. The Cookware, Utensils and Cans for Foods and Beverages (Quality Control) Order, 2026, as notified by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade on Friday, replacing the 2025 order, mandates that the wrought aluminium utensils and aluminium beverage cans will now be required to adhere to the mandatory certification. Alongside this, these items are also required to make use of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark for some of its specified products and will be rolled out till April 2027, especially for micro enterprises. The mandate of...
Upstream funding, project expansion and tightening supply are resetting aluminium’s market direction
At the beginning of 2026 and in the first half of January, 2026, the global upstream aluminium value chain is stepping into a new era where projects are ramping up, capital is being mobilised, leadership roles are shifting and price signals are becoming more pronounced, all at once. The industry is now at a juncture where it is seeing critical resource movements and explorations, which are driven by technology and calculated partnerships, setting different production achievements and altering market dynamics. The year started with beneficial expansions, which redirected significant structural shifts taking place in the industry. Projects beyond limits Jushen Logistics Group, via its indirectly held subsidiaries, has secured a three-year contract worth USD 134 million . This deal focuses...
Quiet moves, strong signals: aluminium downstream sets the tone for 2026
The global aluminium downstream, in 2026, looks with a fresh wave of energy, driven by changing corporate strategies, stronger demand signals and shifting leadership priorities. From stock fluctuations and portfolio adjustments to growth forecasts tied to capacity and changes in the boardroom, recent events indicate that downstream sectors are ramping up to unfold the next chapter of market growth. All these indicators hint at significant structural changes taking place in aluminium conductors, extrusions and value-added manufacturing, setting the groundwork for important developments on the horizon. Share price rally in the global AL downstream sector Oricon Enterprises Limited notified the stock exchanges that its Board of Directors has approved the sale of assets tied to its aluminium...
Quartux signals next-stage expansion as Mexico’s energy storage momentum builds
A turning point for Mexico’s energy storage market is set to be seen in 2026 due to the rising private-sector tenders. Quartux, which commands over 85 per cent of the commercial and industrial sector, is set to venture into utility-scale projects. However, this is only possible with robust financial backing, unique technologies and strategic partnerships that the country is preparing for a swift increase in market adoption in 2026. Mexico's energy growth attributes Mexico launched its latest tender, which targets 3.3 GW of renewable energy capacity and 1.2 GW of battery storage for private developers, marking this as a cornerstone moment for the country's energy storage sector. For Quartux, this tender, aside from providing new growth opportunities, shall also aid in strengthening its...
India’s energy storage inflexion point: tenfold battery capacity surge set for 2026
A surge in the battery energy storage capacity of India is expected, where an addition of almost ten times to around 5 GWh in 2026 will be made from 507 GWh in 2025. The extended capacity is owed to the key major projects lined up and is ready to move into the execution stage. 2026 will be the year when India will witness a turning point, especially for this sector, since the projects which were in the pipeline for the last two years are not beginning to come on stream, as per the study released by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA). 2025 mainly focused on tendering the activities for these projects and 2026 will mainly focus on testing the ability of the industry in terms of delivering these projects on the ground, based on a particular timeline between 18 and 24 months....
Paragon Union & Asahi Seiren join forces to target the $160B recycled aluminium market
Paragon Union Bhd made a partnership with Asahi Seiren Co., Ltd., which is the largest secondary aluminium producer in Japan. This partnership is all about grabbing the growth opportunities in the booming global recycled aluminium market, which is currently valued at over USD 160 billion. The partnership will lead to the creation of Paragon Asahi Seiren Sdn Bhd, a joint venture where Paragon Union’s fully owned subsidiary, Paragon Metal Sdn Bhd, will take a 60 per cent share, while Asahi Seiren will own the remaining 40 per cent. Paragon Metal’s deep understanding of the local market and its solid industrial presence, with Asahi Seiren’s nearly 90 years of expertise in aluminium recycling and its unique processing technologies, mark the joint venture to stand out. Asahi Seiren is...
Spain’s 2025 renewable surge meets a hard limit: is the grid the next bottleneck?
As per the official data from Red Electrica, in 2025, Spain positioned itself as one of Europe's dynamic clean energy markets after successfully adding renewable capacity of 8,852.7 MW. In this, solar photovoltaic (PV) dominated the state by adding 7,896.3 MW and the remaining 956.4 MW came from onshore wind. With this expansion, Spain's leadership in renewable generation within the EU territory has been confirmed. However, the increased grid congestion is creating a new challenge for new connections, which holds the power to overturn the market outcome in 2026. Cumulatively, Spain's total installed solar PV shifted to 48,130.6 MW and in 2025, the wind power closed at 33,150.3 MW. Nonetheless, the solar deployment stayed highly concentrated. There are five autonomous communities that hold...
LME aluminium cash offer slips to USD 3,092/t as forward signals turn mixed
The London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price on January 7, 2026, showed a decline in cash bid and offer, but remained at the forwards contracts. The inventory also fell, but the LME alumina platts gained from the previous close. Both the LME cash bid and offer fell by USD 0.5 per tonne and USD 1 per tonne, respectively, where the bid settled at USD 3,091.5 per tonne and the offer at USD 3,092 per tonne. Don’t miss out- Buyers are looking for your products on our B2B platform A contradictory movement was witnessed at the LME 3-month bid and offer price, where the bid moved up USD 1 per tonne and settled at USD 3,112 per tonne and the offer inched up USD 0.5 per tonne, marking the price at USD 3,112.5 per tonne. At the forward contract, the December 27 bid and offer showed no change from...
600 MW on offer, almost 3 GW delivered: Dominican tender ignites race
The latest renewable energy tender, as shared by the Dominican government, has received a positive market response, considering the 32 solar and wind projects, where battery energy storage held the lion's share, competed for a total capacity of 600 MW. To be decided in May 2026, the process shall enable further expansion within the future rounds at par with the strong participation level share. What started in August 2025 The region launched the tender for 600 MW solar and wind capacity, which could be traced to August, 2025, where the project demanded inclusion of four hours of battery storage to support the stability in the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI). This request was approved by the Superintendency of Electricity (SIE) under Resolution SIE-092-2025-LCE, which aided...
NALCO’s board reshuffle: Shri Anil Kumar Singh takes charge as Commercial Director
With the vision of further empowering the leadership team of the state-owned aluminium major player, National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has named Shri Anil Kumar Singh as the Commercial Director of its Board. Appointment of Mr Singh was made official via an order sent out by the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, on January 5, 2026. The appointee is deemed to hold the position from the assumed date of charge till his superannuation, which is dated on September 30, 2028 or till said otherwise. The appointment, however, is considered to be dependent on the outcome of OA No. 352/2025, which is currently before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Cuttack. Must read: Key industry individuals share their thoughts on the trending topics The update about the stock exchange...
