China’s alumina & primary aluminium production reflected significant growth in Q1 2024

The Aluminum Branch of the China Non-Ferrous Metals Industry Association convened a symposium on April 16. The conference was organised for key aluminium enterprises highlighting the operational aspects of the industry for 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.

Focus of the conference

Regarding production, by the end of March 2024, China had achieved a completed capacity of 103.35 million tonnes per year for alumina and 44.43 million tonnes per year for primary aluminium. During the first quarter, the primary aluminium output was 10.59 million tonnes, marking increases of 6.1 per cent year-on-year.

The focus was on addressing challenges and fostering discussions on strategies to propel the aluminium industry towards high-quality development. The meeting provided updates on the performance of the aluminium industry, covering production, trade, and operational aspects since the beginning of the current year.

Jan-Feb aluminium production

From January to February, aluminium production surged to 9.76 million tonnes, marking an impressive 11.5 per cent increase. In terms of import and export, during the same period of 2024, there were notable figures: cumulative bauxite imports amounted to 24.48 million tonnes, showing a 4.0 per cent increase.

Alumina imports totalled 644,000 tonnes, soaring by 64.9 per cent, while alumina exports reached 278,000 tonnes, up by 10.3 per cent. Primary aluminium imports experienced a substantial rise, reaching 472,000 tonnes, a staggering 214.7 per cent increase. Meanwhile, exports of aluminium materials reached 924,000 tonnes, growing by 10.2 per cent, and aluminium product exports surged to 493,000 tonnes, showing a substantial increase of 31.9 per cent.