With the year-on-year increasing demand for aluminium all around the globe, Germany is reportedly heading towards the hike in aluminium production. According to the German Association of the Aluminium Industry (GDA), the country during the period January to June 2018 produced some 666,700 tonnes of raw aluminium, marking a growth of 0.9 per cent from the corresponding period last year. The raw aluminium production comprised 268,200 tonnes of primary aluminium and 398,500 tonnes of recycled aluminium. Trimet and Hydro are the two notable smelters in Germany that have an annual aluminium production capacity of approximately 305,000 tonnes and 230,000 tonnes, respectively.
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{alcircleadd}This indicates that the country imports a significant amount of bauxite from various parts of the world to feed its domestic smelters. According to the global export-import data, Germany has been witnessing a year-on-year growth in bauxite import since the last two years; this year (2018) is expected to show no exception either.
In 2016, Germany had imported 2.23 million tonnes of aluminium, as per the data, which in 2017 increased to 2.29 million tonnes, up 2.70 per cent. In 2018, the import volume is estimated to extend its growth further to 2.74 million tonnes, 23 per cent higher than 2016 and 20 per cent than 2017.
As the above graph shows, Germany in the first quarter of 2018 has already imported 703,304 tonnes of bauxite, marking a growth of 7 per cent from the corresponding period last year. In Q1 2017, Germany’s bauxite import had stood at 656,640 tonnes. However, in Q1 2016, the bauxite import by Germany was much higher than that of Q1 2017 and 2018. The country had imported 727,856 tonnes of bauxite, 11 per cent up from 2017 and 3.4 per cent up from 2018.
As a consequence to the growth in volume, Germany’s bauxite import cost is forecast to grow as well from the previous year, from US$ 102 million to US$ 105 million. But compared to 2016, it is estimated to stand low by -2.77 per cent, as Germany had spent US$ 108 million to secure 2.23 million tonnes of bauxite.
However, surprisingly, despite a growth in bauxite import volume in Q1 2018, Germany’s import cost stood lesser at US$ 24.57 million compared to US$ 28.32 million in Q1 2017, as the above graph shows. The bauxite import cost in Q1 2016 stood even higher than Q1 2017 and Q12018, at US$ 39.82 million, given that the volume was also higher.
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