China’s aluminium production in Nov’21 declines 3% Y-o-Y to 3.07 MT, with daily average output at 102,000 tonnes

In November (30 days) 2021, China’s aluminium production stood at 3.07 million tonnes, reflecting a year-on-year decrease of 3 per cent, found the Shanghai Metals Market. The daily average output came in at 102,000 tonnes, flat on the month.

From January to November, China’s total aluminium production amounted to 35.32 million tonnes, an increase of 4.35 per cent year-on-year.

The domestic aluminium capacity increased slightly in November, but the capacity in Guangxi and Chongqing decreased due to power rationing. The accident at an aluminium plant in Wenshan, Yunnan, also affected the monthly output. However, some aluminium plants in Henan, Yunnan, and Inner Mongolia resumed production, which partially offset the production downfall.

China’s aluminium capacity stood at 37.46 million tonnes per year in early December, while the built capacity came in at 43.75 million tonnes per year and operating rates at 85.6 per cent.

There is likely to be no new production cuts in December, while at the same time no resumption of production is estimated. SMM will pay attention to the progress of the resumption of production after the 300,000 tonnes capacity accident in Wenshan.

SMM projects aluminium output to be at 3.18 million tonnes in December, with the daily average production to be around 102,500 tonnes. Some aluminium processing downstream producers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, and others have recovered production after being affected by power rationing.