AL Circle Analysis: Bauxite developments, alumina trade & primary aluminium market dynamics across Australia, Guinea, US & India
The aluminium industry is entering another phase of supply-chain repositioning. Across bauxite, alumina and primary aluminium, companies are investing in new resources, consolidating strategic assets and expanding processing capacity, while governments are increasingly treating domestic supply as a strategic priority. The latest developments from Australia, Guyana, Guinea, Indonesia, the US and India point to a market where resource security, processing location and control over supply chains are becoming as important as production growth. At the same time, new trading mechanisms and changing investment patterns are beginning to influence how aluminium and its raw materials reach the market. Bauxite supply expands, but securing the right tonnes is becoming harder In Western Australia, VBX...
China's 22.87 Mt extrusion market faces a structural shift as 317 GW solar growth counters weak construction demand
The global aluminium extrusion landscape is undergoing a structural transition driven by industrial decarbonisation, global electrification, and the rapid deployment of clean energy infrastructure. Historically anchored by civil engineering and residential real estate, demand for extruded aluminium profiles in China, the world’s dominant manufacturing hub, is decoupling from traditional property sectors. Persistent structural weakness in China’s domestic construction market has slowed the consumption of conventional architectural profiles such as window frames, door sections, and curtain walls. Conversely, advanced industrial applications, specifically solar photovoltaic (PV) racking, battery energy storage systems (BESS), power grid modernisation, and electric vehicles (EVs), have...
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K Line signed long-term agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium
K Line signed long-term agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium for transportation of 5 million tonnes of bauxite ore on its capesize bulk fleet. The contract is signed for transportation of bauxite ore to the alumina refinery, currently building in Al Taweelah in the United Arab Emirates. K Line will secure this long-term contract without disclosing the financial details, but according its medium-term business plan for Capesize bulkers securing at medium and long-term charters. The Japanese shipowner K Line has long term partnership with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) dating since 1979. K Line operates 12 Capesize bulk carrier with total deadweight of over 2 million DWT. All the ships are built between 2006 and 2012 according to the latest marine engineers developments. The company...
Jharkhand government to renew leases for Hindalco’s closed bauxite mines
Hindalco Industries may soon get to resume operations at five bauxite mines in Jharkhand that have remained closed since September last year, with the state government initiating the extension of these leases till 2030. The state mines department has already processed files of the five mines of the Aditya Birla Group's flagship company, a couple of senior state government officials told ET. These are Hisri (New), Bhusar, Bagru, Pakhar and Serengdag bauxite mines. The state had in September ordered closure of six Hindalco mines that were operating on deemed or temporary leases. The central mines ministry rendered such extensions invalid through a notification in July last year. Questions sent to Hindalco spokesperson remained unanswered as of press time Monday. The Mines and Minerals...
Govt of India transfers ECs of 19 coal blocks from the recently allocated coal mines
The Centre has so far transferred the environment clearance (EC) of 19 coal blocks out of approved 29 mines from the earlier allottees to the new successful bidders including JSW Steel , GMR Chhattisgarh Energy, Jaypee Cement and Ambuja Cements among others. In a bid to expedite operations from the recently allocated coal mines, the Environment Ministry had amended EC norms after a request made by the Coal Ministry to facilitate transfer of ECs to successful coal bidders. "We have so far transferred the ECs of 19 coal blocks to new allottees. We have already issued the transferred letters," a senior Environment Ministry official told agency. The 19 coal blocks are located in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha. These blocks have a combined coal...
Rusal turns to ECHR over nationalization of aluminum plant in Ukraine
Russian aluminium producer Rusal has filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over a ruling of Ukrainian Supreme Court that ordered to nationalize Zaporozhye Aluminum Complex, RIA Novosti reported on on Monday, citing the company’s CEO Vladislav Soloviev. “We still believe we’re right. We obtained this asset from the Rusal merger. Renova purchased it in an honest deal. We’ll try to find a way to dispute this ruling in Ukraine, too,” Soloviev said. On June 10, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office announced that the controlling stake (68.01%) of the Zaporozhye Aluminum Complex, a former Rusal (Russia) asset, was transferred to Ukrainian national ownership. In March, the Ukrainian Supreme Court issued a ruling on this transaction. Earlier Rusal had announced...
Russia promises to help Jamaica restore mined-out bauxite lands
The Government of Russia has pledged assistance to Jamaica with restoring mined-out bauxite lands to full agricultural productivity. Mining minister Phillip Paulwell says the European country has pledged the latest in Russian technology. Russia’s agriculture minister has reportedly expressed hope that livestock and food crops can be exported from Jamaica to Russia. Paulwell is representing Jamaica at the 19th St Petersburg International Economic Forum in Moscow. He reportedly told JIS news that he has been having meetings with various representatives from the Russian government to strengthen cooperation in specialised areas. He says in addition to cooperation in agriculture, Russia has also pledged assistance on environmental issues.
Solar mirrors to help cut emissions in metal processing
Large mirrors concentrating solar rays could not only power electricity-generating turbines but also melt metals, to help reduce carbon footprint of the metal processing industry. The concept has been proposed by researchers from Germany and South Africa and will use South Africa’s large aluminium processing industry as a test bed. The researchers envision the solar mirrors would focus sun rays to achieve temperatures of around 700 °C to power a rotary solar kiln, a device resembling a washing machine drum, melting the aluminium ore as well as recycled aluminium objects. The system will first be tested at the German Aerospace Centre’s (DLR) Institute of Solar Research in Jülich before being implemented in South Africa. In addition to the system itself, the project partners will prepare a...
Utah brewery switches from glass to aluminum
In an effort to be more environmentally friendly, a Utah brewery is putting its brews in aluminum cans rather than traditional glass bottles. Park City Brewery in Park City is making the switch, despite having been in business for only a little more than three months. Co-founder and sales manager Hud Knight claims the decision was made in part due to the company's nascent success. "We're in Maxwell's where we launched our beer, Jupiter Bowl, the Boneyard, the Cabin on Main, Glenwild Country Club," Knight said. The other reason for the switch is the brewery's dedication to the environment. One reason for its success is its brand marketing that puts an emphasis on environmental issues. The brewery is so devoted, in fact, that its slogan is "Preserve Nature's Playground" -- a slogan that is...
SHFE aluminum to rebound next week after hitting over three-year low
August aluminum on the SHFE is expected to rebound to 12,600-12,750 yuan per tonne next week, Shanghai Metals Market foresees. The contract is in oversold territory, presaging a rally on the horizon, SMM’s research team said. LME aluminum might face correction following steep fall this past week, with prices expected between $ 1,680-1,730 per tonne next week. In China’s spot market, supply will be limited since suppliers that just completed delivery under term contracts will have few goods available for sale. Liquidity crunch at the month’s end means that trading is unlikely to pick up. Spot discounts of 40-90 yuan per tonne are expected over SHFE front-month contract.
North American aluminium production down 0.6% in May
The Aluminum Association, in cooperation with the Aluminum Association of Canada, reported primary aluminum production in North America (U.S. and Canada) was at an annual rate of 4,489,865 tonnes during May 2015, down 26,621 tpy (-0.6%) from the previous month's rate of 4,516,486 tonnes. The annual rate of production has decreased in two of the last three months. Compared to a year ago, the annual rate of production was 2.7 percent below the May 2014 rate of 4,613,188 tonnes. Through May 2015, actual production totaled 1,865,543 tonnes, 3.4 percent below the 2014 total of 1,931,070. Preliminary estimates indicate that aluminum demand in the United States and Canada (shipments by domestic producers plus imports) totaled an estimated 8,530 million pounds through April 2015, up 3.1 percent...
Rio Tinto celebrates 10 years of Yarwun refinery
Rio Tinto Alcan held an official celebration on site to thank its employees and the community for a great decade. Rio Tinto Alcan Chief Operating Officer Bauxite and Alumina Armando Torres was on hand for the speeches as well as Mayor Gail Sellers and community elder Neola Savage. Almost 1000 employees and their families converged on the site to celebrate in Rio style. Mr Torres said the celebration for the Yarwun site was a reminder of the relationships Rio Tinto had built over five decades of operation in Gladstone. "All of you have been fundamental to our success and ridden the waves with us," he said. "Our Gladstone operations play an important role in our business' supply chain." He said every year, Yarwun was achieving records and continuing to grow. "Many of you may not know that...
Bauxite Resources, Yankuang dispute referred for mediation
The dispute between ASX-listed Bauxite Resources and its joint venture (JV) partner Yankuang Resources has been referred to a Perth-based barrister for mediation. Bauxite Resources said on Friday that its representatives had met with Yankuang between June 9 and 18 to resolve the dispute over a budget and work programme for the Felicitas project, in Western Australia, but that they had failed to reach a resolution. The dispute also involved the interpretation of the JV parties’ obligation under the resource agreement and the alumina refinery agreement, which was designed to see a full refinery bankable feasibility study (BFS) completed by a predetermined date. Bauxite Resources said on May 19 that the quality and size of the Felicitas deposit represented an opportunity for the JV parties...
Green nod for bauxite mining near marine park in Gujarat
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has recently given its nod to two Bauxite mining projects, located in close proximity to the Marine National Park and a wildlife sanctuary in Jamnagar. The first environment clearance has been given to New Delh-based M/s Orient Abrasives Ltd for quadrupling the production capacity of Nandana bauxite mine from 30,500 tonnes per annum to 128,00 tonnes per annum. The mine lease area of over 50 hectare is designated as government waste land and is located approximately 8.88 km from the national park and 10.10 km from Gaga Wildlife Sanctuary. The company was also accorded an environment clearance in February this year for enchancing the production capacity of the Bauxite mine from 63,000 tonnes per annum to 259,000 tonnes per annum in...
Two Voith SafeSet Couplings to be installed at Novelis facility in Oswego, New York
Two Voith SafeSet Couplings are scheduled for installation at Novelis's recently-expanded Oswego, New York facility later in 2015. The couplings will be applied with a 120 inch wide aluminum hot strip reversing roughing mill powered by two 4000HP motors that produces rolled aluminum products. The SafeSets, optimized through extensive testing by Voith, are to be integrated with the center sections of existing slipper spindles. They are engineered for possible future application with Voith Universal Joint Shafts. Novelis's Oswego manufacturing plant recently expanded via the addition of a $200 million hot finishing rolling mill to produce five times more aluminum for an increase of 200,000 mt/year. The expansion created the need for more reliable and productive technology, generating...
Alcoa innovation drives strong sustainability results
Alcoa today announced that its innovative products and transformation strategy are delivering strong sustainability results. The achievements are highlighted in Alcoa’s 2014 Sustainability Report. Over the last year, the Company expanded its multi-material value-add portfolio and introduced innovations across its end markets enabling customers to produce more environmentally friendly products. Alcoa also continued to reshape its commodity business to become more globally competitive by closing and curtailing high-cost, less efficient facilities, reducing its overall emissions. “Alcoa’s transformation is driving profitable growth, advancing sustainability and delivering innovative products to meet the demands of a more energy-efficient world,” said Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa Chairman and Chief...
Ball Corp. and Henkel Beauty Care introduce lighter aerosol can with 25% recyled aluminium
Ball Corp. has been designing aluminium aerosol cans with recycled aluminium for Henkel Beauty Care for quite some time. Recently, Ball Corp. and Henkel Beauty Care have introduced an even lighter-weight version of ReAl, the aerosol can used for Henkel's Fa beauty care brand. Ball Corporation's technology has utilized recycled aluminum to create a metal alloy that is characterized by enhanced strength and extra light weight. Despite being lightweight, the companies claim that the can has not compromised on package quality and integrity. Ball's ReAl was launched in 2014, to replace the standard aluminum aerosol can used for Henkel’s Fa beauty care brand. It included 25% recycled material and provided an 11% lighter package. The latest version contains almost the same amount of recycled...
South32 facing earnings slide
South32 faces the spectre of a significant earnings slump, as the young company ends its first month on the market in the midst of growing pains. The commodities that looked so promising six months ago now face almighty headwinds, prompting several analysts to warn that earnings will slide by more than 50 per cent if current economic settings persist during the next year. The company's first month on the ASX finished on Friday with the share price at the lowest level in its short history and 17 per cent lower than the highs reached during its first week on the market. Shareholders were warned about early selling of the stock by index funds in Britain, but Shaw Stockbroking analyst Peter O'Connor said that should not be a factor after five weeks. "Most of the index buying and selling is...
Aluminum Industry reacts to new heavy-duty truck fuel economy standards proposed by EPA
On June 19, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty trucks, requiring that fleet fuel economy increase up to 24 percent by 2027. While these proposed rules will first enter public comment period before the final version is likely released sometime in 2016, the aluminum industry is poised to assist its transportation customer base in meeting these new standards. The Aluminum Association is committed to producing high quality, accurate data for OEMs as well as the EPA and other regulatory agencies on the benefit of aluminum lightweighting on fuel economy. Mass reduction using aluminum has emerged as a proven and cost effective technology for achieving improved road vehicle fuel economy and CO2 emissions performance....
Altech Chemicals Ltd environmental site assessment approved for Altech HPA plant
Altech Chemicals Limited announces that it has received approval from the Department of Environment, Johor (DOE) of its Preliminary Site Assessment (colloquially referred to as a "PAT") for the construction and operation of its proposed high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant at Tanjung Langsat, Malaysia. Highlights - Preliminary Site Assessment (PAT) approval by Department of Environment - Confirmation that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the HPA plant is not required - Next step in the environmental approvals process is equipment approvals and registration In general, the approval of the PAT confirms that the proposed location of the HPA plant at Tanjung Langsat and its proposed activity are compatible with gazetted structure and local plans, surrounding land use,...
