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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CNA ventures into bauxite mining; plans investment
In a bid to enhance diversification, the CNA Group has expressed interest in bauxite venture signing a non-binding MoU with a bauxite mine and processing plant in Shanxi, China for a five percent stake in the company. The fruitfulness of the venture will only come forth in due course said the company on Thursday. Chief executive of CNA, Michael Ong says the move can be termed as a "new strategic direction to develop revenue streams from investments to balance cyclical project revenues". An agreement with Liul inxian Senzetengfei Aluminium Industry Co will provide the necessary technological and engineering expertise needed to carry out the business within China. CNA revealed that the mine has reserves worth an estimated $600 million and is generating income of $10 million per year and...
Rolls-Royce says SUV will use aluminum spaceframe unrelated to BMW
Rolls-Royce CEO Mueller-Oetvoes has released preliminary details about the company’s first ever SUV. In an interview with automotive media, Mueller-Oetvoes says the SUV is going to benefit from a newly developed aluminum spaceframe which won't be shared with BMW. He added the technology will then be implemented on all models so expect many of the components and body panels to be manufactured from aluminum which should shave off some considerable weight. Some of the bits and pieces are going to be sourced from the BMW X7 which is believed to go on sale sometime in 2018, just like Rolls-Royce's still unnamed SUV. The British luxury marque is about to finalize the model's design and according to Mueller-Oetvoes we will see test mules in the following months. He went on to specify that it...
Sapa endorses aluminium heat exchangers in India
Sapa demonstrated at ACREX India 2015 how it turns its global aspect into an asset for local service and technical support in aluminium heat exchangers. Every year, ACREX brings together players working in the air conditioning, ventilation, refrigeration and building services industries. It is the largest exhibition of its kind in South Asia. Arranged in Bangalore, the exhibition provided Sapa with an opportunity to show how its competencies within both extruded and welded aluminium tubes can improve a customer’s end product – and its manufacturing processes, too. In India, Sapa also pointed out the benefits that local customers can receive from Sapa's global network. While the company targets customer support and relations at a local level, it uses its global aspect as an asset in terms...
Ardagh Covers 100 Years of Coke's Contour in Aluminium
One of the most important anniversaries in the food and beverage sector this year must be the 100 year anniversary of the iconic Coca-Cola contour bottle. To celebrate this remarkable milestone the company has turned to Ardagh Group to manufacture a very special limited edition 25cl aluminium bottle. Ardagh’s specialist plant in Beaurepaire, France, has applied its expertise for high definition, high resolution printing, with a series of striking designs on aluminium bottles that will delight the brand’s millions of fans as well as serious collectors. Germany in particular is playing a starring role, with 10 individual designs, each representing a decade of Coca-Cola advertising campaigns. The original contour shape, designed by the Root Glass Company of Terre Haute, Indiana, won...
Vollmer launches new circular saw grinding machine
Vollmer has launched two new lines of grinding centers – CHP840 and CHP1300 for the universal sharpening of carbide tipped circular saw blades up to 840mm with the option of 1300mm diameter. The next generation grinding centre has four CNC-controlled axes for the accurate grinding and polishing of virtually all tooth geometries in a single cycle. This groundbreaking new grinding concept delivers ease of use with an ingenious new multi-function hand wheel and programs for use in the aluminium, plastic, wood and metal cutting sectors. The result is a new range of machines that provide the perfect combination of precision, productivity and flexibility for the universal machining of TCT saw blades from 80 up to 1300mm diameter. The latest addition to the Vollmer line has been designed in a...
China shows the slowest aluminium production growth since 2009
Chinese aluminium production in the first two month of 2015 showed a growth of 6.8% compared to last year and has been the slowest start to a year since 2009. Bloomberg had forecasted the growth this year would be around 7.7%. The latest data was released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday in Beijing. Due to irregular trade during the week-long Lunar New Year holidays, the industrial data including output, retail sales and fixed asset investments are combined for the month of January and February. The Lunar holidays occur at differing dates each year and started on Feb 18 this year. “The data shows demand for January and February was weak, but it also reflects production cuts,” said Helen Lau, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Argonaut Securities. “There is still room for the...
First call rating update on Century Aluminum Company
Century Aluminum Company First Call has rated the counter a Hold. The rating recommendation was disclosed in the First Call research information. Century Aluminum Company stock has received a short term price target of $ 22.17 from 6 Analyst. The share price can be expected to fluctuate from the mean short term target, can be seen from the standard deviation reading of $6.18. The higher estimate of target price is $31 , while the lower price target estimate is $14 Century Aluminum Company dropped 4.17% or 0.67 points in the stock market. After opening the day at $15.51, enthusiastic buying supported the stock to a high of $15.79, from whereon serious profit booking came into action. The counter finally ended at $15.41 with the volume soaring to 3,698,894 shares. The closing level of the...
Superfund decision for Columbia Falls aluminum smelter expeded this fall
Columbia Falls may know by autumn whether the now-closed aluminum smelter there will become a Superfund site. Last Tuesday the owners of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company announced the smelter is permanently closing. The next day the Environmental Protection Agency notified Governor Steve Bullock it proposes to add the plant to its priority list of industrial sites that should be cleaned. "Investigation has shown that there are contaminants that potentially could impact human health and the environment at the site. A listing on the National Priorities List identifies sites where additional information is needed" said EPA's Cynthia Peterson. Smelter officials oppose a Superfund listing, describing it as slow and stigmatizing. EPA say the Priorities list proposal will be added to the...
Chinese overproduction continues to be a threat to the western aluminium producers
According to a recent research, the unexpected advancement in the Chinese aluminium industry has caused noticeable damage to western firms like Rio Tinto. Rio had acquired the Canadian giant Alcan in 2007 and justified the purchase by the expectation that China would soon stop producing, shutting down unproductive smelters and start importing causing the aluminium prices to improve. However China instead of ceasing production, stepped up production aided by government subsidies which has causing the total aluminium production to double since 2007, says the former executive of Rio Tinto. This continued expansion kept the price of the metal low which did not experience a dramatic rise even at the heights of the boom. This has caused Rio Tinto to sell off down two-thirds of its $US38 billion...
South Korea buys 2,000 tons of aluminium paying the lowest premium
South Korea has paid the smallest premium in more than a year to source aluminium, the results of a tender showed on Wednesday, the latest sign of intensifying pressure on premiums that is putting the operations of global producers under threat. South Korea bought 1,000 tonnes of aluminium to be sourced from India and another 1,000 tonnes from Australia for May 24 shipment via two tenders closed on Tuesday, the state-run Public Procurement Service said on its website. K Commodity Co Ltd won both bids by offering to accept premiums of $330 per tonne, CIF Incheon, over London Metal Exchange (LME) prices. The drop in premiums is likely to boost headwinds for aluminium producers, who receive the delivery surcharge on top of LME cash prices. The drop represents a 7 percent fall from a $355...
Heavy rain hampering bauxite stockpiling in Bua
Xinfa Aurum Exploration Limited in Bua is facing bauxite stockpiling issues as a result of heavy rain showers in the region. Managing Director, Isirelli Dagaga highlighted the issue in an interview where he also says that they even refrain from mining in wet weathers as it results the production. The company hopes to mine 400,000 tons of bauxite from the current mining site located in the Votua village in Bua. Dagaga says that the ships come to them only once a month that too depends on whether they have enough stockpiles. So they are only stockpiling at present but the constant heavy showers in affecting their progress. “We expect the next ship to arrive on the 4th of April,” he says. He also says that they are able to ship twice a month when the weather is good and June is usually a...
Aluminum Association updates on US aluminum scrap market
The U.S. aluminum industry purchased an estimated 759 million pounds of aluminum scrap during December 2014, according to aluminum recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior, up 7.7 percent over the December 2013 total of 705 million. USGS estimates that recovery of aluminum and aluminum alloys totaled 647 million pounds, an increase of 8.5 percent year-over-year. Preliminary data for 2014 indicate that recovery of aluminum from scrap totaled an estimated 8,019 million pounds, up 4.5 percent over the 2013 total of 7,677 million. U.S. exports of scrap, not included in the government’s consumption statistics, totaled 3,832 million pounds in 2014, down 6.3 percent from 2013.
New technology boosts productivity of aluminum-sheet annealing
Sheet aluminum for auto and truck bodies remains the top growth area as the industry shifts to lighter-weight vehicles. Now a new technology from Linde for continuously annealing cold-rolled strip aluminum may soon speed production. Details about the new technology will be presented at TMS 2015, March 15-19, at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In a paper titled, "Direct Flame Impingement (DFI) – a new oxy-fuel based technology for continuous annealing of aluminum strip," Linde senior nonferrous expert Henrik Gripenberg will discuss DFI technology, applications, and pilot test results. The presentation, part of the Aluminum Processing Symposium, session 1, is scheduled for March 16th at 2:50 p.m., at the Dolphin - Southern Hemisphere I. With Linde's Direct Flame Impingement...
Madras HC asks Centre not to issue any notification against Hyundai
The Madras High Court has asked the Government of India not to issue any notification against the Korean auto major Hyundai in a case related to anti-dumping duty. The order, which was passed on February 27, 2015, on a petition filed by Hyundai, which sought the Court to terminate the investigation in connection with imposition of anti-dumping duty on import of cast aluminium alloy wheels originating in or exported from China, South Korea and Thailand. During his argument Senior Counsel P S Raman, who appeared for Hyundai, pointed out mainly two infirmities in respect of the findings rendered by the designated authority. Firstly that the second extension for final decision was granted by the Central Government only on April 30, 2014, after the expiry of first extension dated March 19,...
Noranda, consumer parties reach agreement on allocation of Ameren Missouri electricity rates
Noranda Aluminum Holding Corporation announced it has joined in a rate design agreement with consumer groups in the Missouri Public Service Commission ("PSC") general electricity rate case for Ameren Missouri. The consumer agreement remains subject to approval by the PSC as part of the Ameren rate case, which is expected to be decided by May 31, 2015. Among other provisions, the consumer agreement establishes a new electricity rate structure for Noranda's aluminum smelter in New Madrid, Missouri. The proposed smelter rate structure has a ten-year term, an initial rate of $34 per megawatt hour, and exempts the smelter from fuel adjustment charges. Compared to rates in place during 2014, at full production the proposed smelter rate structure would have reduced the smelter's electricity...
Altech appoints EPCM partner for its HPA Project
Highlights • Appointment of M + W Group as EPCM partner • Leading global engineering and construction group with extensive Asian experience • Strengthens the Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) team Altech Chemicals Limited is pleased to announce that following its strategic decision to select Johor Bahru, Malaysia as the preferred location for its proposed 4,000tpa high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant, it has now appointed M+W Group as its Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Management (EPCM) partner. Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, M+W Group was founded in 1912, is a leading global engineering and construction business, has offices in over 30 countries, and in excess of 8,500 employees world-wide. The firm has a strong presence in Asia with regional offices in both...
Antam reports losses for 2014 due to Indonesian ore export ban
The Indonesian mineral-ore export ban has affected the state-run diversified miner Aneka Tambang (Antam) reporting a total net loss of Rp 775.29 billion (US$ 59.28 million) for the year 2014 which is a sharp contrast from the previous year where the company enjoyed a net profit of Rp 409.95 billion. Antam suffered a serious fall in net sales in 2014, where numbers dropped from Rp 11.3 trillion in 2013 to Rp 9.42 trillion last year. The ban on export coupled with weak commodity prices has severely hit the company’s sales. Tato Miraza, the Antam president director says that to combat the dismal situation the company has resorted to efficiency savings and diversification into the downstream sector. Tato further added that his company had high hopes for the government’s planned state capital...
NALCO Board to consider Interim Dividend for FY 2014-15
A meeting of the Board of Directors of National Aluminium Company Ltd will be held on March 12, 2015, to consider declaration of interim dividend for the Financial Year 2014-15. March 19, 2015 has been fixed as the Record Date for the purpose of Payment of Interim Dividend. Shares of NATIONAL ALUMINIUM CO.LTD. was last trading in BSE at INR 48.75 as compared to the previous close of INR 49.85. The total number of shares traded during the day was 91207 in over 1085 trades. The stock hit an intraday high of INR 49.9 and intraday low of 48.5. The net turnover during the day was INR 4469039.
