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...
Grow with
AL Circle
Impact Minerals yet again as lowest-cost global HPA producer - Lake Hope's PFS released
Impact Minerals has once again confirmed its position as the lowest-cost global HPA producer with its recent release of a Pre‑Feasibility Study (PFS) for its Lake Hope High‑Purity Alumina (HPA) project in Western Australia. According to the PFS, the Net Present Value (NPV₁₀) is no less than AUD 1.165 billion (USD 746 million), a flat‑line CapEx of AUD 259 million (USD 167 million), and operating costs of ~USD 5,860 per tonne. However, it shows a potential of sliding below USD 4500 with the byproduct credits. Strategy meets scale: Impact Mineral’s vision for HPA growth Pilot plant & government-backed innovation A pilot plant is underway with CAD 2.87 million (USD 2.07 million) in UK‑PCRC funding, partnered between CPC Engineering and Edith Cowan University. The plant is focused on membrane...
From Canada to Europe - a noticeable shift in US aluminium sourcing
Canadian aluminium smelters are sharply reducing primary metal exports to the US following an escalation in tariffs under the Trump administration. Beginning in March 2025, the US reinstated a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminium, which was then unexpectedly doubled to 50 per cent in June, causing significant disruption to established trade flows and leaving Canadian exporters little time to adjust. Major producers such as Alcoa Corp have led this shift by diverting more than 100,000 metric tons of Canadian aluminium away from US buyers to alternative global markets, mainly in Europe. This pivot has been facilitated by the fact that approximately 30 per cent of Alcoa's Canadian production is not bound by annual contracts, allowing flexible redirection to more favourable markets....
Seaborne bauxite prices see downward pressure amid high port inventory
As of July 29, Mysteel's daily assessment for Guinea bauxite (Al:45%,Si:3%) was USD 73 per dry metric tonne (dmt), unchanged from a week ago, but down USD 1 per dry metric tonne from a month ago. The assessment for Australia bauxite (Al:50%,Si:6.5%) remained flat at USD 69 per dry metric tonne. Seaborne bauxite prices remained flat last week. Despite increasing spot trades, the transaction prices mostly showed no changes in the trend. On the supply side, we observed a visible W-o-W increase in the shipments in Guinea last week. However, it's still at a low level due to the impact of the wet season and the supply disruption in the AXIS mining area. A Chinese-invested mining company in Guinea's AXIS mining area was heard to prepare for resumption of production. However, according to...
DAILY: Chinese spot alumina prices edge higher
Chinese alumina prices for spot sales generally tracked higher across China's five alumina-producing areas on July 29, and those for domestic futures contracts also rebounded. Image for referential purposes only On Tuesday, Mysteel assessed the spot prices for smelter-grade alumina with purity exceeding 98.6 per cent at RMB 5 per tonne (USD 0.7 per tonne) higher from Monday in Shandong, Henan, and Guizhou provinces and in the Guangxi autonomous region. Prices in these areas averaged between RMB 3,205 per tonne and RMB 3,325 per tonne. Similarly, the assessed price for Shanxi province material rose by a larger RMB 10 per tonne on day to reach RMB 3,240 per tonne the same day, Mysteel's daily tracking showed. The rises in spot alumina prices signalled firming sentiment among participants in...
With services PMI at 53.5 in July, can Japan rely on domestic demand amid export struggles?
A trade agreement between Japan and the US in July 2025 provided partial tariff relief, but ongoing challenges particularly in aluminium and auto parts continued to weigh on Japan’s manufacturing output. While services accelerated domestic demand, the country’s industrial base remained under pressure amid evolving global trade dynamics. The S&P Global Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 48.8 in July, dipping below the crucial 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction. This marked a reversal from June’s 50.1, the first expansion reading in over a year. Economics Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence Annabel Fiddes said, “Business activity across Japan's private sector continued to expand at the start of the third quarter, fuelled by...
Ghana revokes Rocksure's lease. What's ahead in its mining strategy?
With Guinea revoking more than 129 licenses of the bauxite miners , Ghana is now following a similar step. Starting with a local firm, Rocksure International, Ghana has cancelled the bauxite lease worth USD 1.2 billion. The major cause behind the cancellation was the lease being ratified by the parliament. Under Ghana’s legal framework, a landmark 2019 Supreme Court decision, widely known as the “Exton Cubic ruling” established that any mining lease not ratified by Parliament is deemed legally void. This legal precedent empowered the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to formally notify Rocksure of the termination of its mining lease. After cancelling the lease of its local firm, Rocksure International, Ghana is currently seeking a partnership with international companies. The major...
300 TWh hydropower project in Tibet - what it means for China’s aluminium industry?
In a landmark move aligning economic ambition with climate strategy, China has commenced construction on the colossal Yarlung Zangbo Hydropower Project worth USD 168 million in Tibet. A massive clean energy initiative, this project is expected to reshape regional energy flows and significantly impact the aluminium industry by shouldering power supply responsibility with Yunnan. Powering a nation and its aluminium sector In Nyingchi, Premier Li Qiang announced the "project of the century", highlighting its strategic relevance for the nation. The five-dam complex along the Yarlung Zangbo River is expected to generate 300 terawatt hours (TWh) of power annually by 2035, which is greater than the UK's annual power consumption at present. The scope of this project, with a total estimated cost...
You shouldn’t smash aluminium cans before recycling. Here’s why
Recycling is one of the easiest ways to do right by the planet, but doing it correctly takes more than tossing old metal into the bin and calling it a day. While most of us know we should recycle, the how of it often gets murky. Image credit: www.justdial.com Rinsing out aluminium cans, cleaning up old cookware and removing non‑metal parts from small appliances is the tip. And if you're still crushing your cans flat before tossing them? Don’t. Experts say that this can mess with sorting machines that rely on shape to ID and direct materials to the right place. The bottom line is that steel and aluminium can be recycled endlessly without degrading, so it’s worth doing right. Why shaping matters & recycling rates you should know Global aluminium recycling efficiency remains at 76 per cent,...
Tariff-for-tariff? Ford pressures Ottawa as US deadline nears
As the clock ticks toward an August 1 trade deadline, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pressuring the federal government to respond decisively to escalating US tariffs. Ford has urged Ottawa to impose matching 50 per cent tariffs on American steel and aluminium, should talks fail to produce a new bilateral deal. Speaking at Queen’s Park on Monday, Ford said, “We are working on Aug 1 and we will see what comes from that. But I have always taken the approach dollar-for-dollar and tariff-for-tariff. If he (Trump) wants to attack our hardworking steel workers and aluminium workers, then we have to meet that 50 per cent tariff.” His comments come in response to US President Donald Trump’s threat of an additional 35 per cent tariff on a wider list of Canadian goods, a move that would add to the...
China's energy-intensive industries face 40% green power mandate by 2030
China's green electricity market reached a milestone in Q1 2025, with nearly 2 trillion green electricity certificates (GECs) traded - roughly one-third of total historical volume. In April, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), alongside other ministries, announced plans to expand mandatory green power consumption to a broader set of energy-intensive sectors. The petrochemical and chemical industries are now expected to accelerate their transition to green power, with a target to meet or surpass the national average share of green power in total electricity consumption (40 per cent) by 2030. Policy focus: expanding binding green power requirements Target sectors: Petrochemicals, chemicals, steel, non-ferrous metals, building materials, and data centers (in 2024, only the...
Volker Hoffmann from CeraNovis and AL Circle converse on the aluminium market’s shift from cost and quality to sustainability
Volker Hofmann is the Head of Sales and Product Management at CeraNovis GmbH, a Saarbrücken-based specialist in high-performance coatings for foundries and casthouses. A qualified engineer in Foundry and Materials Technology (Dipl.-Ing. FH), Hofmann brings over three decades of experience across Europe’s metallurgical and casting sectors. His career spans leadership roles in the vonRoll Foundry Group, P&S Foundry, and the European Foundry Group, with a particular focus on Tier 1 automotive supply. Before co-founding CeraNovis in 2012 as a spin-off from ItN Nanovation AG, he led the development of nanotechnology-based coating solutions for metal processing industries. Fluent in German, English, and French, Hofmann is recognised for his deep technical expertise and strategic insight into...
The US-UK deal just ahead of August 1 hits pause on a TRADE TUSSLE. Triumph or Compromise?
The August 1 deadline looms just around the corner, and countries across the globe are preparing last-minute either to crack a deal with the US ahead of the reciprocal tariff implementation or to combat the ripple effect of the tariff across supply chains. In the meantime, when the world’s two largest economies, the United States and the European Union, managed to avert a full-throated trade tussle, they did so with what protagonists would call a compromise, and critics dub an asymmetric capitulation. In a high-stakes meeting at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a framework deal with a 15 per cent US tariff on about 70 per cent of EU exports, including cars, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors,...
EU deploys new scrap‑metal customs surveillance to tackle leakage
Brussels has stopped watching from the sidelines. As the global metals trade grows more asymmetric and carbon commitments face real-world constraints, the European Commission’s decision to implement surveillance on scrap metal imports and exports has moved far beyond being a regulatory formality to a high-stakes chess move in an escalating global scrap tussle. Image for referential purposes only On July 23, 2025, the European Commission launched an official customs surveillance mechanism to monitor all EU-bound and outbound flows of steel, aluminium, and copper scrap. Though presented as a data-gathering initiative under the Steel and Metals Action Plan (SMAP), this policy shift is anything but passive. It is a direct response to growing export leakages, tightening scrap availability...
DAILY: China's spot alumina prices hold steady, futures soften
Chinese spot alumina prices held steady across China's five key alumina-producing regions on July 25, while buying activity slowed as most downstream primary aluminium smelters turned cautious towards spot purchases. The same day, domestic alumina futures prices plunged during the nighttime trading session after earlier gains. Mysteel assessed spot prices for smelter-grade alumina with purity exceeding 98.6 per cent unchanged in Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, and Guizhou provinces and in the Guangxi autonomous region, within a range of RMB 3,195 per tonne (USD 446 per tonne) to RMB 3,315 per tonne on Friday. In the derivatives market, alumina futures on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) weakened during Friday's nighttime session. The most-traded September contract slumped by 6.3 per cent by...
H1 2025: World primary aluminium output grows despite market headwinds, with China and emerging regions driving gains
The world primary aluminium production seems to have withstood all the recent hurdles like escalating trade tensions, raw material costs, and supply chain disruptions with a decent growth rate of 1.4 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2025. Albeit a slower than in 2024, the growth in the world’s primary aluminium production in Q2 2025 was largely encouraged by the bullish aluminium price trend on the London Metal Exchange, ranging between USD 2,499 per tonne and USD 2,593 per tonne. However, the increased LME alumina (Platts) price reaching above USD 363 per tonne dampened the mood of primary aluminium producers slightly, offsetting the output volume. Nonetheless, the world primary aluminium production closed the H1 with a Y-o-Y hike, amounting to 36.459 million tonnes versus...
No carbon relief in UK trade deal — is India’s aluminium industry at risk?
India's Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the UK, signed with hopes of unlocking duty-free market access, has come under fire from trade experts and industry leaders for omitting carbon tax exemptions. This omission, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), could undermine Indian exports worth USD 775 million annually, including key commodities like aluminium, steel, fertiliser, and cement, starting in 2027. GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava said, "From January 2027, the UK can impose carbon taxes on Indian steel and aluminium, even as we grant UK goods duty-free access. That's a serious asymmetry." The UK plans to roll out its own Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), following the European Union's lead, to tax high-carbon imports. This border levy will apply to sectors...
Trump’s conscious move to exempt aluminium scrap from tariff is reflecting on booming recycling market
When the US slapped a steep 50 per cent tariff on imported aluminium earlier this year, it was pitched as a bold step to revive the country’s flagging smelters and bring metal production back home. But on the ground, something quite different is happening: scrapyards, not smelters are thriving. Across the country, aluminium recyclers are experiencing a surge in demand as manufacturers look for ways to cut costs amid spiking metal prices. With tariffs driving up the price of imported primary aluminium, many downstream industries are shifting toward recycled aluminium, which is cheaper, faster to process, and conveniently free from trade restrictions. With import prices soaring, especially in the US Midwest, manufacturers are facing higher input costs. The Platts Midwest aluminium premium...
With Guinea restrategising its mining, is Ghana ready to anchor India’s bauxite imports?
India’s bauxite import is witnessing a turning point in 2025, as Ghana makes its debut as a key bauxite exporter, filling the void left by Guinea’s sudden export slump. Image for representational purpose According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, India imported 0.31 million tonnes of bauxite in Q1 2025, a staggering 76 per cent decline compared to 1.28 million tonnes in the same period last year. The plunge underscores both external supply constraints and internal realignments in India's aluminium industry. But despite the overall quarterly decline, March 2025 witnessed a brief rebound, with imports rising to 0.19 million tonnes, a 13 per cent year-on-year increase. Also read: Global Bauxite and Alumina Industry Outlook 2025 for deeper insights. Guinea’s collapse, Ghana’s gain The...
