Europe holds 10% of global aluminium extrusion demand, supported by Germany’s Constellium, France’s Hydro Extrusions & Italy’s Metra
Across Europe, aluminium extrusion has become closely woven into some of the region’s biggest industrial and construction markets. From automotive and transport to buildings and industrial applications, extruded profiles are finding demand across a wide range of sectors. This is reflected in Europe’s position in the global market: the region accounted for 12 per cent of global aluminium extrusion capacity, making it the second-largest regional contributor after China. At the same time, Europe represented 10 per cent of global aluminium extrusion usage, out of total global usage of 35.35 million tonnes . With production capacity and usage shares relatively close, Europe’s extrusion capacity and consumption are broadly at par. If we break down Europe’s 10 per cent share of global aluminium...
H1 2026 sees more renewable energy than ever: Here’s a region-by-region guide to renewable energy supply in the recent past
In the first half of 2025, humanity generated more electricity from renewables than from coal for the first time ever. What led to it? It was possible only because of two decades of falling solar panel prices, taller wind turbines, and governments finally treating clean power like an economic opportunity instead of a favour to the planet. But the renewable energy scenario cannot be portrayed as a single global story. To get the full picture, one has to connect dozens of regional stories moving at wildly different speeds. Some countries are already powered almost entirely by sun, wind and water. Others are still warming up. Here is a tour of how renewable energy supply looks across the world’s regions right now, and who is actually leading the charge. The global scorecard: Renewable energy...
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Strong industrial gains and persistent systemic gaps — inside the state of US aluminium recycling
The aluminium recycling landscape in the United States in 2025 presents a contradictory picture — one of notable progress alongside persistent challenges. Recent data from the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the Aluminum Association, and other industry sources show that aluminium remains among the most recycled and valuable materials in the world. Yet, even with a strong industrial base, the country still faces hurdles. Uneven consumer participation, varying state policies, and an imbalanced scrap supply continue to slow America’s progress toward a fully circular economy. Industrial backbone, global ties Recycled aluminium now makes up more than 80 per cent of all aluminium produced in the US, showing how dependent the country has become on secondary metal coming from industries...
A billion-dollar plan or a trillion-dollar risk? Inside the US–Australia rare earth & critical minerals deal
The United States and Australia have officially shaken hands to boost the supply chain for rare earths and other essential minerals. This strategic agreement aims to lessen their dependence on China's market control. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pointed out that this partnership will support a series of "ready-to-go" projects valued at USD 8.5 billion. With the rising demand for rare earths and critical minerals, China has begun to limit access to these supplies in response to new US tariffs and ongoing tensions. China currently holds a staggering 70 per cent of the world's rare earth mining and an impressive 90 per cent of the processing of these essential materials. These rare earths are crucial for a wide range of products, from defence equipment to computer chips and...
Mysteel: China alumina prices continue downward trend amid oversupply
On Oct 28, Mysteel daily assessments for Shanxi spot alumina were RMB 2,830-2,880 per tonne, EXW and including VAT, down RMB10 per tonne from a week ago, and assessments for Guangxi spot cargo were RMB 2,990-3,040 per tonne, down RMB 50 per tonne on week. SHFE most-traded contract closed at RMB 2,817 per tonne, up RMB 7 per tonne on week. The price decline in China's alumina market slowed down last week. However, the pessimistic sentiment remains unchanged. We observed high alumina supply and elevated alumina stocks in China, which remained major drivers for the downward trend. On the supply side, China's alumina operating capacity stood above 97 MTPA last week. Despite shrinking margins in the alumina sector, most refineries still maintained high and stable run rates. This, combined with...
African entity plans to boycott externals & empower local processing for aluminium value-chain
During the swearing-in ceremony of the new President of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), George Elombi set the tone for what could be Africa’s next industrial revolution. “No more Nigerian bauxite, or Gabonese manganese, or Cameroonian bauxite, or South African bauxite, raw. We are not interested,” Elombi declared, adding, “We will focus on domestic processing. This has numerous benefits.” Image source: https://www.indiamart.com/ Numbers talk truth and so you should follow them from our exclusive industry report ' A Comprehensive Analysis of Bauxite Residue - Red Mud ' to stay ahead! Africa has long faced a familiar paradox in its metals and mining complex — abundant raw-material endowment, yet limited downstream value capture. With Afreximbank launching a dedicated financing...
China's natural gas demand gains seasonal momentum as imports rebalance and domestic supply expands
China's natural gas market is entering the fourth quarter with firmer consumption fundamentals. October demand is projected to stay elevated amid heating preparation, resilient transport fuel use, and steady industrial recovery, while import dynamics show a gradual shift toward pipeline gas. Steady demand recovery: Industrial and residential consumption are firming as northern heating needs pick up and factory activity improves. Gas-fired power plants are maintaining high operating rates, offsetting lower hydropower output. Domestic output expansion: New upstream projects and efficiency gains in major producing regions supporting output stability in the near term. Import structure shift: Pipeline inflows are strengthening, while LNG arrivals have eased amid softer international prices and...
Impact Minerals' Lake Hope study charts strong 33-year low-cost alumina project with $722M present value
Impact Minerals Limited has completed a major technical milestone for its flagship Lake Hope High Purity Alumina (HPA) Project in Western Australia, releasing a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) that outlines strong economics and positions the project among the most cost-competitive potential alumina producers globally. Image source: Impact Minerals The study confirms that Lake Hope has the potential to supply high-purity alumina at low cost and with a comparatively small carbon footprint — an important factor, as demand for HPA is growing in sectors such as electric vehicles, energy storage, and LED lighting. Financial overview The PFS outlines a planned output of 10,000 tonnes of HPA annually, with a product sale price of AUD 35,484 per tonne (USD 22,000/t). Financial modelling produced a...
Energy crisis or more – what will potentially decide the fate of Tomago aluminium smelter?
More than three years and the shockwaves of energy crisis in Australia are still being felt loud and clear. Caused by not one particular factor, the crisis began in the spring of 2022 (April-July) due to the spike in international gas prices, domestic plant outages, and weak renewable power generation. Beyond these, political allegations for mismanagement also take a centre stage as the present federal energy minister, Chris Bowen, blames the earlier Coalition Government for taking no precautionary measures for the impending crisis, while the latter claims the new Labor Government is incapable to handle the situation. But whoever or whatever is at the blaming point, the fact remains undeniable that this energy crisis has scorched Australia’s manufacturing backbone, especially aluminium....
Rising US tariffs push Canada’s aluminium industry to a crossroads
For more than a century, Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean region has been more than just a hub of aluminium production — it’s the soul of Canada’s aluminium industry. The gleaming metal shaped its economy, built its communities, and earned the area its proud nickname: “aluminium valley.” But the deep cross-border ties that sustained it for over a century are now under strain, as Washington’s escalating tariffs threaten to unravel one of North America’s most enduring industrial partnerships. An alliance tested by tariffs The trade rift began in March 2025, when US, invoking national security issue under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian aluminium and steel. By June, those tariffs were doubled to 50 per cent. The tariffs now apply not only to raw...
WEEKLY: Chinese alumina prices slip further as oversupply pressure remains
The national average price for metallurgical-grade alumina with purity above 98.6 per cent dropped by RMB 31 per tonne (USD 4.4 per tonne) or 1 per cent from a week earlier to RMB 2,930 per tonne on October 23, Mysteel's price assessment showed. Ongoing price weakness has heightened financial pressure on domestic alumina producers, market sources said. Nevertheless, most refiners showed little intention to curb output, with many prioritising operational stability over production cuts in order to safeguard annual long-term supply contracts for the coming year, as reported. In consequence, last week's alumina production remained broadly unchanged from the prior week. According to Mysteel's survey, total metallurgical-grade alumina output among the 44 Chinese refiners it regularly tracks...
GDP and AL industry included, here’s how the world could double prosperity while using less energy
There’s a neat paradox at the heart of the clean-energy debate: richer societies typically use more energy, yet the latest modelling from the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) suggests we can (provided that we choose to) have a lot more of the good things that energy delivers (travel, cooling, manufacturing) while using less energy overall. The ETC’s October 2025 briefing argues that smart electrification, appliance efficiency and material recycling could let the global economy more than double by 2050 while cutting final energy demand by about 24 per cent compared with today. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/ Also read: High time to invest in Africa’s solar potential! Why? It records the highest ‘sunshine’ on Earth That claim is startling because it rewrites a default storyline:...
China’s aluminium industry walks a fine line between construction slowdown and automobile strength
China’s manufacturing industry, which has been the world’s largest for fifteen consecutive years, appears to be sputtering in 2025, weighed down by global trade tensions and waning domestic demand. Yet amid the broader industrial slowdown, one segment has quietly kept the aluminium sector afloat and that is the country’s resilient automobile industry. Manufacturing momentum falters Accounting for nearly 30 per cent of global manufacturing value and 26 per cent of the domestic GDP, China’s manufacturing sector has long been the backbone of the nation’s economy. However, since early 2025, signs of fatigue have been unmistakable. The Purchasing Manager’s index (PMI) – a key gauge of industrial activity - started the year in contraction, standing at 49.1 in January, according to the data...
Ardagh Metal Packaging posts $27M Q3 profit, targets up to $735M EBITDA in 2025
Ardagh Metal Packaging S.A. (AMP) reported a firm third-quarter performance, backed by higher sales, better profitability, and improved efficiency across its regional operations. The company also raised its full-year guidance on the back of steady demand for beverage cans and disciplined cost management. For the three months ended September 30, 2025, AMP’s revenue rose to USD 1.43 billion, up from USD 1.31 billion a year earlier — an increase of 9 per cent, or 6 per cent on a constant currency basis. The improvement was largely supported by higher shipments in Europe and North America, along with a healthier mix of products that cushioned softer sales elsewhere. Net profit for the quarter came in at USD 27 million, compared with USD 18 million last year. Adjusted EBITDA rose 6 per cent to...
SHFE non-ferrous metal futures rise on week
Major futures prices for key non-ferrous metals – copper, aluminium, and nickel – on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) all rose during the week of October 17-24, supported by improving macroeconomic sentiment both at home and abroad. By the close of the daytime trading session on Friday, the SHFE's most-traded December copper contract had recorded a 3.9 per cent on-week jump to close at RMB 87,720 per tonne (USD 12,316 per tonne). Similarly, the most-traded December aluminium and nickel contracts also climbed, rising by 1.5 per cent and 0.7 per cent from a week earlier to RMB 21,225 per tonne and RMB 122,150 per tonne, respectively. The on-week gains were largely the result of stronger investor confidence fuelled by expectations of continued economic improvement in China and signs of...
Japan’s aluminium premium collapses: What the Q4 $86/t settlement means for Asia
In late October 2025, the quarterly surcharge for imported primary aluminium into Japan was assessed at USD 86 per tonne (CIF main Japanese ports, P1020/P1020A ingot) by S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts) — a 20.4 per cent drop from the Q3 figure of USD 108 per tonne. The decline, which came after a 41 per cent plunge in Q3 from the Q2 level of USD 182 per tonne, is a clear sign of weakening in Japan’s role as the region’s aluminium-import benchmark and highlights pressure points for exporters, especially in Asia. Image for referential purposes only Also read: Japan’s aluminium can demand holds at 2.09 billion units in 2025 Benchmark context and mechanics MJP (Main Japanese Port) aluminium premium is a quarterly negotiation between Japanese buyers and overseas suppliers for CIF...
NBS: China's Sept alumina output rises 8.7% Y-o-Y to record high
China produced 8 million tonnes of alumina last month including metallurgical-grade and other types, up by 8.7 per cent from September last year and by 0.9 per cent from August, according to data released by the country's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The figure marked a record monthly high, Mysteel Global noted. Image source: https://files.hssite.com/ Also read: GACC: China's Sept bauxite imports jump 38% Y-o-Y despite on-month decline Last month's performance meant that over January-September, China's total alumina output reached 68.56 million tonnes, representing an 8.4 per cent on-year increase, the NBS data showed. The modest on-month climb in September reflected generally stable alumina production nationwide, though output rose in several southwestern regions, market watchers...
GACC: China's Sept bauxite imports jump 38% Y-o-Y despite on-month decline
China imported 15.9 million tonnes of bauxite in September, up by 38.3 per cent from the same month last year but down by 13.2 per cent from August, according to the latest data released by the country's General Administration of Customs (GACC). Also Read: China's alumina operating capacity set to fall in October as prices squeeze margins Over January-September this year, China's total bauxite imports reached 157.6 million tonnes, an increase of 32 per cent from the corresponding period in 2024, the Customs data showed. Guinea remained China's dominant overseas bauxite supplier last month, exporting 10.5 million tonnes and accounting for about 66 per cent of China's total imports. Although September's volume was 14.9 per cent lower on the month, it was still 58.2 per cent higher on the...
The future of US aluminium hinges on energy, not tariff policy — here’s why
At the Aluminum Association’s annual meeting in Washington this September, the topic that dominated was not tariffs, not trade, but energy. As the US government doubles down on its Made in America agenda, aiming to restore domestic aluminium production, executives warned that the dream of a primary aluminium revival may ultimately hinge on one factor alone: affordable electricity. Aluminium has always been an energy story disguised as a metal story. It takes immense electricity to turn alumina into molten aluminium — roughly 11 terawatt-hours (TWh) per smelter every year, enough to power a city like Boston or Nashville. “When you think about the energy intensity that is required for an aluminium smelter, you’re talking about basically powering a city,” Kelly Thomas, Aluminum Association...
High time to invest in Africa’s solar potential! Why? It records the highest ‘sunshine’ on Earth
Africa is blessed with sunshine. In fact, the African Development Bank notes that the continent has “almost unlimited” solar potential, roughly 10,000 gigawatts (10 terawatts) of capacity. This equates to more than 50 times the world’s current power needs. Yet ironies abound. Some 600 million Africans (about 43 per cent of the population) still lack reliable electricity, and roughly 80 per cent of all the people on earth without power live in sub-Saharan Africa. Here lies both a challenge and an opportunity: Africa’s abundant sunshine could be the key to closing its energy gap – and in doing so, transforming industries like aluminium that desperately need clean, affordable power. Image for referential purposes only (source: https://unsdg.un.org/) Also read: Reliance Industries’ mega solar...
