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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Polish aluminium firm Kety sees rise in profit, raises dividend
Poland's biggest aluminium products maker Kety said it expects a 20 percent increase in 2015 net profit to 201 million zlotys ($54.44 million) due to a recovering global economy, prompting the company to pay a higher dividend. Kety will increase the shareholder payout to up to 60 percent of consolidated net profit, the company said in a strategy update for 2015-2020 on Tuesday. The company, whose shares rose 30 percent last year on Poland's economic recovery, said that by 2020 its net profit will increase by half from current levels to 264 million zlotys. ($1 = 3.6920 zlotys)
Vietnam's Alumina output to jump in 2015 on new plant
Vietnam's alumina output will jump this year as a processing plant will become operational later in the year while the Tan Rai complex, the country's only operational facility, will raise output by 11 percent, the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper reported, citing the investor of the projects. The Tan Rai complex will raise production this year to 540,000 tonnes, while the Nhan Co complex in the country's central highland province of Dak Nong will deliver its first alumina in the fourth quarter, it reported, citing state-run Vinacomin, the country's top mining firm. Alumina is made from bauxite ore and used for processing aluminium. Most of Vietnam's alumina output is for export.
Weipa mine to use renewable energy owing to ARENA’s funding
Weipa bauxite mine will soon become the first mining site to adopt renewable energy thanks to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) who is providing the funds worth around $23.4 million for the revolutionary two-phased project. For the first phase of the project, ARENA will be shelling out $3.5 million which will be used to lay down 18,000 ground-mounted thin-film solar photovoltaics (PV) by First Solar and Ingenero. This will provide 1.7MW off-grid energy that will be used to operate the mine, town and port facilities. This will contribute up to 20% of daytime demand at the same time offsetting the excessive reliance of mining operations on diesel fuels. The CEO of the ARENA, Ivor Frischknecht said that this avant-garde project will “demonstrate the potential for renewable...
Tomago smelter helps pull AGL out of the red
AGL, a gas giant in Australia has reported an increase in half-yearly profits by 25% stating that its recent acquisition of Macquarie Generation worth $1.5 billion has been beneficial while things are looking positive for the Hunter Valley-based Tomago aluminium smelter. The company has reported a rise of $300 million in underlying profits over six months ending in December. Tomago aluminium smelter, the biggest customer for the company is turning things around for the company. AGL had dropped hints that it may close down due to market uncertainties but as the condition of the global aluminium industry improves, AGL’s future looks promising. AGL has an electrical contract with Tomago valid till 2028. The high local premiums have boosted the aluminium prices, while the diminishing...
Xinfa targets 10 bauxite shipments to China
Xinfa Aurum Bauxite Company is planning to make 10 bauxite shipments to China, this year. The Chinese bauxite mining company was handed their second lease documents, late last year from the Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Mereseini Vuniwaqa, for the new site in Votua Village, Lekutu in Bua. Company managing director Isireli Dagaga said they have only completed one site in Nawailevu. “But we still have bits and pieces of ore that has to be transferred to the loading area,” Mr Dagaga said. “We are only exporting bauxite to China and our last shipment was in December, 2014, which carried 60,000 tonnes. “Currently we are loading our first shipment for this year and the number of shipment per year mainly depends on the weather.” He added that the company does not mine on wet weather...
Hydro reports highest quarterly results for Bauxite, Alumina and Primary Metal since 2007 during Q4 2014
Norsk Hydro ASA's underlying Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) increased to NOK 2,886 million in the fourth quarter, up from NOK 1,490 million in the third quarter of 2014. Bauxite & Alumina and Primary Metal delivered their highest quarterly results since 2007. • Record high quarterly underlying EBIT of NOK 2,886 million • Proposed 2014 dividend NOK 1 per share • Revised dividend policy: 40 % of net income over the cycle • Higher realized all-in metal and alumina prices, supported by currency movements • Improved operating performance at Alunorte and Paragominas • Karmøy technology pilot investment decision made Higher realized aluminium prices, product premiums and realized alumina prices had significant positive impact on the quarter together with the substantial strengthening of...
Indonesian Inalum smelter might cutback production diverting power to main grid
Indonesia’s only aluminium smelter, PT Inalum is planning to cut back their production to 202,000 tons whereas they have a capacity of 250,000 tons because they need to divert some of their power for public use. An official from the firm who did not wish to be named said that nearly 210 megawatts of power would be given to PLN from April this year reflecting the woeful infrastructural condition faced by South East Asia’s biggest economy. Energy will be transferred from the Asahan 2 hydro power plant, from where Inalum gets the power to product ingots, to the North Sumatra grid. Sofyan Basir, the CEO of the state-owned Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) electrical utility, said that the energy diversion from Inalum smelter is supposedly for “only 6 months”, until the proposed power plant...
Novelis forced to import aluminum sheet due to Kentucky outage
Novelis Inc was forced to import aluminum can sheet from Asia and South America to make up for lost output from a three-week outage at its U.S. joint venture rolling mill in January, Chief Executive Officer Phil Martens said on Monday. The mill, which Novelis co-owns with Tri Arrows Aluminun, lost 20,000-25,000 tonnes of can sheet, Martens said in a conference call after the release of third-quarter to end-December results for the world's No. 1 flat-rolled products maker. During the outage, the company ran the mill with just one motor at 30 percent capacity. Novelis brought in can sheet from its own operations in Asia and South America after the Russellville, Kentucky-based Logan Aluminum mill's "unexpected" outage between Dec. 29 and Jan. 17, Martens said. Earlier, Novelis warned that...
Hydro has decided to invest in technology pilot in Karmøy
Hydro has made a formal investment decision to develop a full scale pilot plant in Karmøy to demonstrate the world's most energy and climate efficient aluminium production. A final build decision for the project, with total costs estimated at NOK 3.9 billion, is conditioned on Hydro securing a robust power solution for the technology pilot. "The Karmøy pilot will be the largest investment in mainland industry in a decade, beyond oil and gas. The decision thus demonstrates our confidence in the Norwegian technology cluster and Norway's future position in sustainable production of aluminium in a global climate perspective," says Hydro's President and CEO, Svein Richard Brandtzæg. Through the technology pilot in Karmøy, Hydro aims to industrialize the world's most energy and climate...
Coal Ministry of India receives 69 applications from PSUs for 36 coal blocks
As Indian government has opened application submission for coal blocks allocation, a number of state owned companies have aggressively put up applications for coal blocs. NTPC, one of largest the public sector undertaking for power generation has put in eight applications for coal blocks. States like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana have been the major applicants for coal block allocations followed by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Gujarat. Government has received a total of 69 applications for coal allocation. The central government has offered 36 coal blocks for allotment process for re-allocation of cancelled coal mines. Many state and public sector companies lost their coal allocations due to the Supreme Court judgment in August 2014...
Wicona to utilize thermally insulated aluminium profiles made from recycled polyamide
Sapa’s Wicona brand is the first aluminium systems supplier to utilize thermally insulated aluminium profiles with thermal breaks made from recycled polyamide. The new webbing is standard and at no extra cost in the brand’s range of aluminium façade, window and door systems. Using webbing made from recycled polyamide for thermal insulation reduces the consumption of natural resources and improves the sustainability of the products – and well before this becomes a legal requirement. This solution reduces fossil fuel consumption by 89 percent compared to the conventional polyamide, 6.6. It also cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 84 percent and water consumption by 32 percent. In fact, the annual saving in CO2 emissions of more than 12,000 metric tons exceeds the weight of the Eiffel Tower....
Quintrex reveals new aluminium trailers
Quintrex announced new trailers, including the first aluminium model for boats as little as 4.2m. Quintrex said the aluminium trailer range has been popular given its lightweight design. While Quintrex sells many of these trailers as packages, the company hopes to increase its share in the stand alone trailer market. The media day involved an "Explorer dinghy derby" where marine journalists had the chance to race against each other (safely) while testing the latest models in the range. The boats performed well for their size and look smart with the new fork bow design. They feature everything you'd need in a small fishing tinny. Quintrex's 390 Explorer is the company's highest selling boat and easily one of the most popular boats in Australia. With the backing of a large company like...
University of Sheffield AMRC to lead development of next generation of aerospace alloys
The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) will lead a new £6 million European-funded project to develop an advanced lightweight alloy for the aerospace industry. The MMTech project involves manufacturers and research institutions from across Europe, including two small companies from the Sheffield city region’s advanced manufacturing cluster. The project will develop new ways of working with an advanced material called gamma titanium aluminide. “Titanium aluminide is very light and strong, particularly at high temperatures, which makes it a very attractive material for aero engine components,” says Professor Keith Ridgway, executive dean of the University of Sheffield AMRC. “Unfortunately, it is notoriously difficult to use. This project will examine new...
Novelis reports strong results for third quarter of fiscal year 2015
Highlights: New Business Model Drives Significant Improvement in Year-Over-Year Results • Net Income Grows to $46 Million • Sales Increase 18% to $2.8 Billion • Adjusted EBITDA Increases 16% to $236 Million • Shipments Increase 5% to 757 Kilotonnes, a Record Third Quarter • North American Auto Facilities Accelerating Production to Meet Customer Demand Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today reported net income grew to $46 million for the third quarter of fiscal year 2015, up significantly from the $13 million reported in the third quarter of fiscal year 2014. Excluding certain tax-effected items in both periods, net income is $60 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2015, more than double the $23 million reported in the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA for...
Queensland Bauxite finalized a port deal with Port of Mourilyan
Queensland Bauxite has finalized a deal with Far North Queensland Ports Corporation Limited to make Port of Mourilyan their port partner, allowing the company to allocate 800,000 tonnes of bauxite per year, according to the contract agreement. Located 16-25 kms away from the South Johnstone mining site, the port will allow “excellent logistics solution to develop a profitable mining and export operation in 2015”, said Pnina Feldman, the Executive Chairperson of Queensland Bauxite. The Heads of Agreement was signed with Ports North with a scope of increasing the tonnage over time. The HOA will allow the parties involved to decide a commercial agreement on how the port’s infrastructure will be utilized to develop the designated Stock Pile Facility. For the development of the Facility, an...
Antam announces the commencement of the alumina plant in Tayan
Aneka Tambang, Indonesia’s state-controlled miner announced on Monday that the $490 million chemical-grade alumina plant in Tayan, West Kalimantan has started its commercial operations. Since mineral export was banned in the country, the company sought to diversify its operations and boost the yield with the 300,000-ton/year refinery which will produce chemical-grade alumina. The Indonesia Chemical Alumina, which operates the Tayan plant, is a joint venture between Antam and Japanese firm Showa Denko, where Antam holds 80 percent share and Showa owns the remaining 20 percent. The yield from the plant will be used for both local and use and exporting, especially in Japan. Antam has several other mineral processing projects in the pipeline and plans to sell some global bonds this year to...
Alcoa converts San Ciprian Alumina Refinery to natural gas, improving global competitiveness
The Alcoa alumina refinery in San Ciprian (Lugo, Spain) today officially transitioned from fuel oil to natural gas following the completion of a new gas pipeline. The US$25 million investment to convert the refinery to natural gas is consistent with the Company’s strategy to create a lower cost, globally competitive alumina business. “We are increasing the ability of our San Ciprian refinery to compete on a global scale by converting the facility to a secure supply of natural gas, which is lower in cost over the long term and a cleaner alternative to fuel oil for refining,” said Alan Cransberg, President of Alcoa Refining. “The San Ciprian team has worked diligently to make this transition happen and we’re extremely pleased to see the pipeline inaugurated today.” The facility’s shift to...
Alba 2014 net income surges 21%
2014 Industry Highlights: • Aluminium demand remains healthy with world consumption up by 8% year-on-year (YoY). Asian demand up by 10% YoY supported by a robust growth in China (+13% YoY) on the back of government stimulus and infrastructure investment. North America shows strong demand growth (over 5% YoY) due to higher automotive demand with ramp-up of new Ford F-150 aluminium body. In addition, MENA demand is healthy supported by infrastructure spending while Europe consumption remained stable. • World market is in deficit (-12 Kt with China and -984 Kt without). • LME inventories at 4.2 million metric tonnes in December. • 2014 LME Cash average was slightly higher at $1,866 per metric tonne (mt) as compared to $1,846 mt in 2013. 2014 Alba Highlights: • Continued improvement in safety...
