Caustic soda plant setup in India: How aluminium growth is reshaping demand, costs and opportunities
Caustic soda may not be the most visible ingredient in aluminium production, but without it, the journey from bauxite to alumina would look very different. The chemical, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a crucial reagent in the Bayer process, where it helps dissolve alumina-bearing material in bauxite and separate it from impurities. The dissolved material is then processed to recover alumina, which ultimately feeds aluminium production. That makes caustic soda more than just another industrial chemical. Its availability, price and efficient use can influence the economics of alumina refining and, by extension, the wider aluminium value chain. As India expands its alumina and aluminium capacity, the requirement for this chemical is also becoming increasingly important. For companies...
Aluminum investment across North America and Asia: Who leads reshaping the next phase of growth?
Aluminum investment has been spreading across the entire value chain, from primary smelting and alumina refining to recycling, rolling, extrusion and battery foil, building more integrated and higher-value supply chains. During the past 5 years, the US and Canada in North America and China in Asia have been grabbing headlines pertaining to the aluminum industry. These updates have involved growth stories or have shed light on volatile market situations. How have these headlines contributed to a greater picture for the benefit of the aluminum industries of the two continents? Between 2021 and 2026, major projects across North America and Asia have targeted new primary capacity, lower-carbon production, recycled aluminum and higher-value downstream products. But the investment pattern is...
Grow with
AL Circle
Russian-based Vi Holding to invest $500 million in Indonesian refinery
Russian Trade Minister, Denis Manturov, reported to Reuters on Tuesday that the Russian-based industrial group named Vi Holding will be investing $500 million in an alumina refinery in Indonesia, which can be built in the next three to four years. The highly debated mineral export ban in Indonesia has created a desperate need in the country to move up the value chain to start processing the bauxite. This ban has also made aluminium more stable in the market as the shortage of bauxite supply has contributed to the stronger aluminium prices. After meeting Joko Widodo, the new Indonesian president in Jakarta, Manturov states that the new refinery will use Russian technology and is expected to have an output of 1 million tonnes per year which will then be shipped to China for further...
AP Investment associate calls for investments on Renbel bauxite
An associate of Asia Pacific Investment Development (APID), Henry Star Dora says the Renbel Government and people should encourage investment of the Renbel bauxite. He made the statement in Honiara yesterday following the recent revocation of a mine prospecting license and a mine lease granted to an Indonesian Mining Company, PT Mega Bin tang Borneo Ltd to undertake mining prospecting on Rennell by the Mines and Minerals Board. Mr Star Dora said Asia Pacific Investment Development which is keen to tap the multi-million bauxite deposit on Rennell is serious about putting more money on the island. But he said the provincial government and the landowners must accept APID to carry out bauxite prospecting on Rennell, adding once agreement is reached between them and the investors, the province...
Aluminium prices may face newer challenges
The Director of metals research and strategy at Citigroup Inc. David Wilson stated recently that the unwinding of financial deals is likely to curb the upward climb for aluminium prices in the coming year. According to Citigroup estimates, nearly 20% of the world’s aluminium supply amounting to roughly 10-15 million tons is currently being stored in various inventories across the world. Analysts are saying, for the financial deals to really start unwinding there needs to be a situation where the future prices are lower than the current prices which will tempt traders to sell off their stock instead of waiting for future profits. Alternatively, rising interest rates could also make these deals less viable. The head of commodities research at Natixis, Nic Brown says, “There could be a...
LME aluminium to rise to $2,002
LME aluminium is expected to rise to $2,002 per tonne, after a shallow correction to $1,960. Wave pattern suggests the progress of a wave c, which started at the Oct. 16 low of $1,893.50. This wave has five component waves and so far, only three have unfolded. The fourth wave labelled 4 may end around $1,960, a support provided by the lower channel line of a rising channel. The fifth wave labelled 5 will then take over to drive the metal towards $2,002, the 50 percent Fibonacci retracement on the fall from the Sept. 8 high of $2,118 to the Oct. 2 low of $1,885.
800,000-tpy Aluminum alloy project in China Xinjiang to reach full capacity in late Oct.
Henan Shenhuo Coal & Power Co.’s 800,000-tpy precision aluminum alloy project in Xinjiang is scheduled to reach full capacity in late October, the company said in its Q3 financial report filed to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on October 18. The project is supported by 400,000-tpy carbon facility, it added.
Chengdu Mayor Ge takes over as chairman of under-pressure Chinalco
Aluminum Corp of China (Chinalco), the nation's biggest producer of alumina, has appointed Ge Honglin, mayor of Chengdu, as chairman, replacing Xiong Weiping, who led the company since 2009. The decision was announced on Monday afternoon during a corporate conference. Ge, born in 1956, worked in the steel industry for 19 years before he entered politics. He was appointed as mayor of Chengdu in August 2003. Before that, he was deputy general manager and director of Baosteel Group, the owner of China's biggest listed steel producer. He was also the head of Baosteel's research institute at the time. Xiong, 58, became head of Chinalco five years ago. He was the deputy general manager of the company from 2000 to 2006. In June 2006, He was appointed as vice-chairman and president of China...
EGA among 100 companies featuring on BCG Global Challengers report 2014
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has come out with their sixth Global Challengers report for 2014 recently where EGA holds a place among the top 100 companies who are in a leadership position in key industries and important instruments for driving global economic growth. Emirates Global Aluminium, formed in 2013 is among the top five primary aluminium producers in the world, churning out an annual production of 2.4 million tons despite being one of the youngest in the global aluminium industry. EGA is a joint venture between Mubadala Development Company of Abu Dhabi and Investment Corporation of Dubai. The maximum share of the production, more than 90 percent is exported to over 350 customers across 70 countries in the world. With ownership of strategic bauxite mine and alumina refinery...
ISRI launches circle of safety excellence to improve worker safety across the recycling industry
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), the Voice of the Recycling IndustryTM, today announced the creation of the Circle of Safety ExcellenceTM – a member-driven effort to promote and encourage safety in the workplace. The key to this new initiative is the establishment of a platform – the Circle – within which like-minded companies voluntarily come forward to share safety data and best practices for the betterment of their own safety program and the industry in general, and at the same time be recognized by ISRI for their commitment to safety. “ISRI’s new Circle of Safety Excellence program is designed for every ISRI member company willing to embrace a new safety norm,” said Doug Kramer, chair of ISRI. “It is a social and professional network of like-minded owners and CEOs...
Singapore-listed Triyards acquires aluminium shipbuilding company
Mainboard-listed Triyards Holdings, an offshore vessel fabrication and engineering solutions provider to the oil and gas industry, said it has added new capabilities, products and clients with its A$23.3 million (S$25.97 million) acquisition of shipbuilding and fabrication companies, Strategic Marine (S) Pte Ltd and Strategic Marine (V) Co. Limited (collectively termed Strategic Marine). Strategic Marine has been building aluminium and steel vessels as well as complex aluminium and steel structures for the marine infrastructure and mining sectors for over 10 years, Triyads said in a statement on Monday. Strategic Marine has two yards - one in Vung Tau, Vietnam, and the other in Singapore - with a total area of 158,648 metres. Strategic Marine's Vietnam yard is also strategically sited...
Kaiser Aluminum Q3 profit down
Kaiser Aluminum Corp. Monday reported a drop in profit for the third quarter, hurt largely by higher operating costs despite increased revenue. Earnings for the quarter fell short of analysts estimates, as did revenues, sending shares of the aluminum products maker down seven percent in the after-hours trade. Foothill Ranch, California-based Kaiser Aluminum's third-quarter profit dropped to $15.9 million or $0.85 per share from $25.4 million or $1.34 per share last year. Excluding special items, adjusted earnings declined to $14.6 million or $0.79 per share from $17.1 million or $0.90 per share last year. On average, eight analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of $1.02 per share for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. Kaiser's sales for the...
Aluminium sector gives tick to RET exemption
The aluminium industry has backed a plan by the renewables sector that would see smelters exempted from the Renewable Energy Target, a move seen as an attempt to inject some momentum into talks between the government and Labor. In a letter to Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and Environment Minister Greg Hunt, Australian Aluminium Council executive director Miles Prosser said the Clean Energy Council’s support for an exemption — combined with the benefits that would flow to other electricity users through the price-suppressing effect of the RET — provided a sound basis for a deal. The Australian understands industry groups are pushing both the government and Labor for a deal on the RET. Some are urging Labor to agree to cuts to the large-scale renewable energy target of 41,000GWh...
Prima Resources updates on Bauxite Residue Reclamation for Gove Alumina Project
Prima Resources held a preliminary meeting in Darwin with Nhulunbuy Indigenous Group/Company regarding the future of the Bauxite Residue Storage Area and the Alumina Refinery at Gove currently owned by Rio Tinto. It was decided that discussions take place with the possibility of Rio Tinto returning these Facilities to Local Indigenous Ownership. These discussions will also involve the Local Indigenous Landholders. Prima will form a JV Partnership with a Local Indigenous Company to Own, Manage and Operate the Bauxite Residue Reclamation Project. The project will be executed in two Phases: Phase 1) 1.0 MT/Yr Plant to produce Iron Oxide Concentrate for export. Phase 2) 1.0 MT/Yr Plant to extract metals including Iron, Aluminium, Titanium. The Bauxite Residue Reclamation Project will be a...
Chinook and EMR develop technology for 100% car recycling
A new technology is introduced in the world’s largest industrial waste gasification plant at Oldbury, West Midlands which is due to commission this month where nearly 100 percent of old vehicles can be recycled or turned into energy. This technology is part of the newly emerging “cleantech” sector that is a section of green economy which deals with a variety of areas including renewable energy, smart grids and car sharing. Cleantech Group which is an US consultancy released a report this month where UK ranked second after US regarding its annual ranking of start-ups in the sector. Britain sends more than a million vehicles to scrap every year which makes this joint venture between Chinook Sciences and European Metals Recycling worth £100m crucial to improve the recycling rates. The...
800,000-tpy Aluminum alloy project in China Xinjiang to reach full capacity in late Oct.
Henan Shenhuo Coal & Power Co.’s 800,000-tpy precision aluminum alloy project in Xinjiang is scheduled to reach full capacity in late October, the company said in its Q3 financial report filed to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on October 18. The project is supported by 400,000-tpy carbon facility, it added.
Alba announces Ma’aden as the Gold sponsor for ARABAL 2014
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), one of the world’s leading aluminium producers, today, Monday, October 20, 2014 announced Ma’aden - Saudi Arabian Mining Company as the Gold Sponsor for the 18th International Arab Aluminium (Arabal) Conference. The Company also announced Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mills Company (GARMCO) as the Silver sponsors for Arabal 2014. Speaking on the sponsorships for the Conference, Alba’s Chief Executive Officer, Tim Murray said: “Alba is truly privileged to host an event of international repute such as Arabal 2014, which will bring together the Middle East’s aluminium industry on a single platform. It is rewarding to have prominent industry leaders, sponsor and participate in the event, as it is through such partnerships that we...
Vedanta’s bauxite mining survey in Koraput district stopped due to local protest
Vedanta had proceeded to survey the land at Danga Deula hill in Koraput district along with officials from the mining department on Friday but was forced to stop their survey work due to opposition from the villagers. Vedanta’s mining plans are not going well as they have already been refused permission to mine in the Niyamgiri hills rejected by the palli sabhas as well as the Supreme Court. Now their attempts to assess the Danga Deula region is also been restricted by the locals. The State Government has issued this 144 hectare area under a prospecting license (PL) so that Vedanta can survey the laterite to look for bauxite contents. This PL will be valid for the next two years during which the company is allowed to mine 50 tons of laterite for bauxite. If a low content of bauxite is...
Anglo African Minerals speeds up its Guinea-based bauxite project
Anglo African Minerals, an Ireland based company is planning to speed up the development of their Gunieau-based bauxite project of 43-million ton so that it can start production by 2016. The project spread across 338 km square and once it takes off, it will ease the tension caused by the ban on unprocessed bauxite ore export in Indonesia. Till now, 68 auger holes have been drilled at the Forward Africa Resources (FAR) project in the Dubreka/Kindia prefecture and hopes to complete the scoping study by the November-end. After some additional drilling due in mid-November, the company aims to complete a bankable feasibility study by 2015 Q1. The construction is supposed to start at the end of 2015 and production of two million tons a year should be initiated by first quarter of 2016, says CEO...
Vishay – New screw-terminal power aluminium capacitors perform for 10,000 hours at +85C
Latest from Vishay is a new series of screw-terminal power aluminium capacitors designed for traction and heavy-duty applications. Devices in the 110 PHT-ST series offer a long useful life of 10,000 hours at +85C and high ripple current to 19.76A at +85C in large 76mm x 146mm and 76mm x 220mm case sizes. Featuring a cylindrical aluminium case insulated with a blue sleeve and pressure relief in their sealing disc, the capacitors combine their long useful life with high capacitance of 6000µF over a voltage range of 250V to 450V. Additional capacitance and voltage values are available on request. The devices offer tight tolerance of -10% / +30%, low maximum ESR down to 17.6mohm, and a wide operating temperature range from -40C to +85C. As polarized aluminum electrolytic capacitors with a...
