Metallurgical-grade alumina production in China further expands by 4.27% to 6.36 MT in December’21

Alumina production in China in December 2021 (31 calendar days) was 6.59 million tonnes, of which metallurgical-grade alumina output stood at 6.36 million tonnes, found the Shanghai Metals Market. On a month-on-month calculation, the metallurgical-grade alumina output extended hike by 4.27 per cent from 6.1 million tonnes of production in November 2021.

The average daily metallurgical-grade alumina production was 205,300 tonnes in December, reflecting an increase of 4.33 per cent M-o-M and 10.68 per cent Y-o-Y. The winter heating season in China had a relatively lower impact on the roasting capacity of alumina refineries in December, resulting in a rise in alumina production.

Total production throughout the year amounted to 72.16 million tonnes, a year-on-year hike of 7.25 per cent.

Stable operation in south-west China also contributed to the higher production of alumina in December, while output in the north neither declined significantly. According to SMM, refineries in Longzhou County in Guangxi reached the full capacity from a low of 240,000 tonnes per year since the end of November, bringing some additional output.

Net alumina imports into China are estimated around 150,000 tonnes, and there is likely to be a surplus of 401,000 tonnes in the month and 1.04 million tonnes throughout the year.

As of early January 2022, China’s metallurgical-grade alumina operating capacity has reached 74.92 million tonnes per year, with the installed capacity at 89.6 million tonnes per year. In the entire month (31 calendar days), the output is estimated to be around 6.1 million tonnes.