Metallurgical-grade alumina production in China records a 0.83% hike to 6.1 million tonnes in November 2021 (30days)

According to the latest data revealed by the Shanghai Metals Market, alumina production in China in November (30 days) 2021 stood at 6.24 million tonnes, of which metallurgical-grade alumina was 6.1 million tonnes. On a month-on-month calculation, the production of metallurgical-grade alumina stood 0.83 per cent higher than 6.05 million tonnes.

The average daily output of metallurgical-grade alumina was 203,000 tonnes, an increase of 4.14 per cent month-on-month and 5.19 per cent year-on-year.

From January to November, China’s total production of metallurgical-grade alumina amounted to 65.8 million tonnes, up by 6.93 per cent from the same period last year.

The metallurgical-grade alumina output grew in November compared with the previous month as the increase in alumina prices prompted some refineries to ramp up production.

The net imports of alumina are estimated at around 350,000 tonnes in November as the import window was open throughout November. China’s alumina surplus was about 543,000 tonnes in the said month.

As of early December, China’s metallurgical-grade alumina operating capacity was 74.24 million tonnes per year, with the installed capacity at 88.6 million tonnes per year. The production activities of refineries in Shanxi, Shandong, and Hebei were not affected by production restrictions in November. It is expected that metallurgical alumina output in December (31 days) will come in at 6.1 million tonnes.