AL Circle Analysis: Guinea’s 150Mt bauxite cap, China’s import swings, US tariffs draw aluminium Q4’26
The global aluminium supply chain is facing a series of changes that extend from bauxite mines and alumina refineries to smelters, regional premiums and finished-metal trade. In 2026, the market’s direction is being shaped not only by production volumes but also by freight costs, export restrictions, shifting Chinese demand and tariffs. Developments across Guinea, Australia, China, Europe and North America point to a market where access to supply is increasingly as important as the availability of raw materials. Bauxite supply: Guinea’s cap meets a well-stocked China, but is it stable? Guinea remains central to the seaborne bauxite market, with its shipment connections to China demonstrating the importance of reliable logistics. A new sea-rail route has enabled a Guinea bauxite shipment...
EU approves Germany’s power relief instrument: Could aluminium producers save €459m annually?
Germany’s aluminium industry could receive some relief from persistently high electricity costs after the European Commission, under the European Union (EU) approved the country’s industrial electricity price scheme for 2026–2028. The measure is intended to ease the burden on energy-intensive businesses, strengthen industrial competitiveness and support Germany’s position as a manufacturing hub. The stakes are particularly high for aluminium producers. Electricity can account for 30–40 per cent of primary aluminium production costs, making power prices a critical factor in operating margins and investment decisions. Explore- Most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report — Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook...
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Power tariff cuts to benefit Xinjiang aluminum smelters
Xinjiang decided to cut power tariffs by an average 0.093 yuan (1.5 cents)/Kwh for local industrial and commercial power users, starting on April 15, 2015, China Securities reported. The cut is more than five times sharper than the national average cut of 0.018 yuan/Kwh. Rich coal resources allow power tariffs in Xinjiang to be lower than the rest of the country. This, together with the recent power tariff cuts, will substantially cut power costs for aluminum smelters in Xinjiang, which drives nearly half of the growth in China’s new aluminum capacity, China Securities added.
Glencore reportedly frozen out of Aurukun bauxite rights negotiation
Reports are being heard that Glencore has been frozen out of negotiations with the traditional owners of the Aurukun bauxite developers and has been issued a legal letter informing them that there will be no negotiation regarding mining with anyone else other than Australian Bauxite Developers. Although Glencore had been announced the ‘preferred proponent’ by the government for the land, traditional owners that is the Wik and Wik Way people had preferred the local ABD for the task. According to the legal letter issued to Glencore, they are informed that under the Land Use Agreement the Ngan Aak Kunch (NAK) representing the native titleholders, ABD will be the sole candidates for negotiation for land rights. The government had granted Glencore access to disputed land but there has been a...
Ford trucks made with Alcoa aluminum get top safety ratings
The new Ford F-150, with an updated body made of aluminum from Alcoa, got a top safety rating from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Ford previously committed to changing the F-150 from a steel body to a 97% aluminum body, and the aluminum is provided by the Alcoa works in Riverdale. Replacing the steel with aluminum improved the F-150’s fuel efficiency and reduced its weight by 700 pounds. The NHTSA gave its top five-star crash test safety rating to the newer version of the F-150 Super Crew 4×4 and 4×2 models, made with the Alcoa aluminum. “Starting with 2011 models, NHTXA has introduced tougher tests and rigorous new 5-Star Safety Ratings that provide more information about safety feature performance and crash avoidance technologies,” said information on the...
China aluminum semis exports unlikely to be strong in Q2
China exported 360,000 tonnes of unwrought aluminum and aluminum semis in March, down 14.3% February, customs data showed. SMM attributes the surprising decline to sharply falling overseas aluminum premiums and rising SHFE/LME aluminum price ratio, which hurt token exports of aluminum semis. Despite unfavorable SHFE/LME aluminum price ratio from late March through early April, some Chinese processors continued to sell overseas at the expense of lowering processing fees, SMM's survey found. Others, by contrast, chose to cut exports. All in all, Q2 will not see strong aluminum semis exports, SMM's aluminum analyst Wang Chunhui said.
Canned beer and cider stealing drinkers from bottles
UK drinkers are swapping bottled beer and cider for cans after embracing the aluminium revolution driven by suppliers. Cans are cheaper to produce, easier to recycle and more adept than bottles at protecting beer and cider from oxygen and light, leading a host of British craft breweries and cidermakers to follow their US counterparts by championing 33cl cans. UK drinkers are buying into it as canned beer stole 1% volume share from bottles over the past year (Nielsen, year to January 2015) and canned cider seized 7% share. The off-trade beer market has grown and cans have a higher share of it, with Nielsen reporting canned beer volumes up 2.4% and canned cider volumes up 6%. Multipacks are a key tool for the industry and four-packs accounted for 43% of sales volume. Over the past year 15...
Rexam Partners with Heineken Russia
Rexam, a leading global can maker, has collaborated with Feilong to produce a can for its brand new, traditionally-inspired rice beer. With a striking design, the can uses various ink combinations specifically selected by Rexam to incorporate Feilong’s Chinese cultural influence. The use of two shades of white re-creates a traditional Chinese silk pattern, whilst the impactful and iconic Feilong symbol – meaning flying dragon – is brought to life by an array of carefully matched colours. Feilong incorporates a traditional rice beer recipe long used by Chinese brewmasters, to create a light, refreshing and refined lager. Rexam’s premium can format enables the fusion of tradition and modernity and captures the essence of the brand. Jonnie Cahill, Marketing Director for Heineken Russia says,...
Nederman receives order from major aluminium producer in the UK
The order, worth approximately SEK 30 million, will provide design, products and installation of a complete fume abatement plant. The order will be booked in Q2, 2015, and the installation is targeted to be completed during 2015. The facility, which supplies plate products to the world's aerospace, defense, tooling and general engineering markets, will be upgraded to comply with regulations and the company’s environmental targets. Nederman has worked closely with the company to find the best solution to meet new requirements. “The aluminium industry is interesting and puts high demands on our products and solutions. This order confirms our ability to fulfill the need of eco-efficient solutions, creating both economic and ecological benefits for our customer, says Hans Dahlén, SVP,...
Novelis announces Steve Fisher as new Interim President
Novelis Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Steve Fisher to serve as the company's Interim President, effective immediately. The announcement follows the departure of Philip Martens, the company's former President and Chief Executive Officer, also effective immediately. The search for a permanent chief executive is under way. Novelis Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Steve Fisher was named Interim President of the company, effective immediately. "The Board would like to thank Phil for his service to Novelis during a critical time of growth and expansion," said Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the company's Board of Directors. "Given Steve's deep knowledge of Novelis and strong support of the rest of the executive team, we have great...
Altech commences permitting for HPA plant in Malaysia
Highlights • Altech commences permitting process for HPA plant in Malaysia • First stage of process involves the Preliminary Site Assessment (PAT) • A ltech’s HPA plant is designed to meet both international and Malaysian standards Altech Chemicals Limited is pleased to announce that it has commenced the permitting process for its high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant proposed to be located in the Tanjung Langsat Industrial Park, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The Company has submitted a Preliminary Site Assessment (colloquially referred to as a "PAT"), to the Department of Environment, Malaysia, which is the first stage of Malaysia's approvals process for the project. Altech's proposed HPA plant has been designed to meet international environmental standards as well as the standards of the...
Govt could likely sell 5% stake in Coal India in FY16, too
Just months after a Rs 22,600-crore disinvestment in the company, Coal India Ltd (CIL) is back in the reckoning for another stake sale, with the government considering selling five per cent in the public sector giant this financial year, it is learnt. The move will reduce the Centre’s stake in the company to 75 per cent, as mandated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India. At current market prices, selling five per cent stake could fetch the government Rs 12,000-13,000 crore. This could go a long way in helping the Centre meet its disinvestment target of Rs 41,000 for FY16. Senior government officials say if there is a major gap between the disinvestment target for this year and the realised proceeds by the end of October, the finance ministry’s disinvestment department might seek a...
Aluminium premiums in Europe slide by half since peak
Surcharges for physical aluminium in Europe have spiralled down by nearly half, good news for industrial consumers such as beer can makers which had bitterly complained about warehouse backlogs of up to two years for delivery of the metal. The unraveling of financing deals at warehouses, together with heavy Chinese exports, has unleashed a glut of aluminium, while demand remains poor. Premiums paid over the LME cash price were mostly quoted in a range of $250-$290 a tonne for duty-paid material in Rotterdam. That is a fall from premiums of $370-$390 in early March and about half the levels at a peak of $500 in November 2014. "It's going down very fast and I don't know where it's going to stop," said one trader, who added that there were some deals with premiums as low as $230. "If you...
Hair salons initiate aluminium foil recycling program
Frasca, a hairdresser, and co-founder Ewelina Forocko, who holds qualifications in environmental science, first carried out a study of salon waste that showed aluminium foil comprised about 50 per cent of waste. This led to an initiative called Refoil, which was launched three years ago to support salons in directing foil products to recycling, with 150 salons around the country participating to date. Frasca said the initiative was saving about 1.7 tonnes of aluminium from going to landfill a year. If every salon in Australia started recycling its foil, it could be as much as 1000 tonnes of aluminium a year being recovered. “Aluminium is one of the worst metals environmentally to produce from raw materials, but it is infinitely sustainable to recycle,” Frasca says. The proceeds from...
Ess Dee Aluminium Ltd clarifies on increase in share price
Ess Dee Aluminium Ltd has clarified with reference to the increase in price. As of now the Company does not have any information / announcement that have a bearing on the operation / performance of the Company which include all price sensitive information in regard to the Company that could have led to the sudden spurt on the price behavior and volume of transactions of the Company's scrip. Shares of ESS DEE ALUMINIUM LTD. was last trading in BSE at INR 297 as compared to the previous close of INR 312.6. The total number of shares traded during the day was 172537 in over 3566 trades. The stock hit an intraday high of INR 327 and intraday low of 297. The net turnover during the day was INR 54022351.
Aluminium market rises on short covering, open interest drops 6.06%
Aluminium settled flat as the US offered a mixed bag of economic data. US inflation data were basically in line with market expectations, but the Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index missed forecasts. Michigan University’s consumer confidence index was positive. Meanwhile, production of primary aluminium reached a record 2.56 million tonnes in March, up from the previous high of 2.18 million tonnes hit in December 2014. Output rose 8 percent year-on-year. In the first quarter, aluminium production climbed 7.5 percent on-year to 7.51 million tonnes. China Merchants Futures has estimated China will add 4.3 million tonnes of annual aluminium capacity this year, with the bulk in the first and fourth quarters. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble refused further concessions to...
Bahrain imports up by 15 percent in March
Bahrain's overall imports soared by 15 per cent last month compared with January and February, a report said. National origin exports registered an increase of 15 per cent in February compared with January, but remained stable last month, according to the report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication. Re-exports soared by 24 per cent in February compared with January, rising by 3 per cent last month compared with February. These updated figures were released by the Central Informatics Organisation (CIO) in its quarterly report. Bahrain imported goods worth BD1.1 billion ($2.9 billion) in the first quarter of this year 68 per cent of which came from top 10 exporting countries. China topped the list as the volume of Chinese-made goods imported by Bahrain averaged BD156 million,...
Tiwai Point aluminium smelter 'squarely in the black'
Two years after receiving a $30 million handout from taxpayers the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is "squarely in the black", says an industry analyst. The smelter, which employs more than 3000 people in Southland, had claimed its future was in doubt as it sought to cut the price of its electricity supplies through a contract with Meridian Energy. In analysis published to clients in March, Woodward Partners head of research John Kidd said the smelter was now in a much stronger position than it was in 2013. "Most external value drivers have moved firmly to the smelter's favour," he said, particularly prices for its high quality aluminium and the exchange rate against the US dollar. He estimated the changes would lead to operating profits for the business of $157 million and $233m in 2014...
Morangup locals form Avon and Hills Mining Awareness Group
Worried Morangup locals have formed an awareness group after raising concerns about a possible development in their community. Morangup borders the Avon Valley National Park and has Toodyay 30 kilometres to its east. Calling themselves the Avon and Hills Mining Awareness Group (AHMAG), the residents have come together to oppose a planned bauxite mine by Bauxite Alumina Joint Ventures (BAJV), a partnership of Bauxite Resources and Yankuang Resources. The mine is part of the Felicitas Bauxite Mining Project which would mine bauxite for processing into alumina. The Felicitas Project is located mostly in the Shire of Toodyay with some extensions in Northam and Mundaring Shires. The resource starts 1.5 kilometres south of the Perth to Kalgoorlie railway line, extending 20km south across...
BMW R nineT will be available with two versions of aluminium fuel tanks from May
The newly launched BMW R nineT with aluminium fuel tanks has been a great addition to BMW’s motorcycle range especially appealing to those who love the powerful, purist styled bikes. They come in a rugged style fitted with the flat-twin engine, unique design and powered by innovative technology. The special aluminium tanks come in two variants, hand-brushed and gloss-varnished where the rider has the option to choose between visible or smoothed welding seams. With a wide range of BMW Motorrad accessories available, these bikes are perfect for customization allowing the rider to reflect his personal style. Both versions of the aluminium fuel tanks echo the tanks of the series production matching in shape, volume and weight reinforcing the neo-classical appeal prompted by the bike’s overall...
