Part II : Top ten alumina producers in the world in 2019

Continued from Part I

6. Rusal

In 2018, Rusal’s total alumina production stood at 7.7 million tonnes. Aughinish Alumina in Ireland and Ukraine’s Nikolaev Alumina Refinery are two of its largest refineries. Russian production that comprise Bogoslovsk, Achinsk and Urals refinery, contributed 2.8 million tonnes of its total production in 2018.

Total alumina production stood at 3.85 million tonnes in the first half of 2019, compared with 3.81 million tonnes in the first half of 2018. This marks an increase of 0.9 per cent year-on-year. At this rate, annual production is likely to stand flat at about 7.7 million tonnes.

Aughinish Alumina produced 949,000 tonnes of alumina in H1 2019. It remains the largest supplier of alumina in Europe.

7. Norsk Hydro (Norway) 

Hydro is a fully integrated aluminium company with operations in 40 countries and headquartered in Norway. In addition to production of primary aluminium, rolled and extruded products and recycling, Hydro also extracts bauxite, refines alumina and generates energy.

Hydro’s Alunorte is the world's largest alumina refinery and is located in Pará, Brazil, in the industrial park of Barcarena.

Since its commissioning in 1995, the refinery has undergone three expansions that increased its production capacity, all of which were implemented without any production downtime.  Nominal capacity of the alumina refinery stands at 6.2 million tonne. The company supplies the domestic and international markets. On average, 14% of its production goes to the domestic market and the other 86 % goes for export. Currently, Hydro Alunorte exports its products to ten countries in the Middle East, North America and Europe. Hydro holds 92.1 per cent of Alunorte ownership. The refinery is fed by bauxite from Hydro’s Paragominas bauxite mine.

Following orders from federal, state and local authorities in Brazil on the issue of bauxite residue pond leakage from its DRS2 bauxite residue deposit, Hydro had to close 50% capacity of its alumina refinery. The refinery is currently operating with 80-85 per cent capacity and expected to start full production by the fourth quarter of 2019. Hydro’s underlying EBIT for bauxite and alumina for 2018 stood at NOK 2,282 million, down from NOK 3,704 million in 2017 due to 50% production cut. The company expects to get back soon operating at its normal capacity.

8. South 32 (Australia)

South32 reported alumina production of 5.05 million tonnes in FY19, as compared to 5.06 million tonnes in FY18. In Q4 FY19, alumina production increased 9% quarter-on-quarter to 1.3 million. Worsely Alumina is one of the highest revenue generating operations of South 32, which is a spin off from BHP Billiton. Worsley Alumina is owned by is a joint-venture partnership between South32 (86%), Japan Alumina Associates (Australia) (10%) and Sojitz Alumina (4%). Worsley Alumina is the second largest and lowest-cost alumina producers in the world with an annual capacity of 4.6 million tonne. 

Production at Worsley Alumina increased 1% year-on-year to 3.79 million tonnes in FY19. In Q4 FY2019, alumina production stood at 996,000 tonnes, up 12% QoQ, due to uplift in calciner availability.

9. Nalco

NALCO’s Damanjodi refinery in Odisha, India has a production capacity of 2.2 million tonnes. The refinery not only feeds its aluminium smelter but the company generates significant revenue by exporting alumina globally. The alumina Refinery achieved highest ever alumina production of 2.1 million tonnes in FY 2018-19 with 102.5% capacity utilization.  NALCO achieved highest ever export earning of INR 4,793 crore in FY 2018-19 registering a growth of 18% over previous year, mostly driven by alumina revenues.

10. Emirate Global Aluminium’s (EGA)

Emirate Global Aluminium’s (EGA) under construction Al Taweelah alumina refinery will be the first alumina refinery in the UAE and the second in the Middle East. EGA has announced the completion of commissioning process of the calcination section of its alumina refinery at Al Taweelah in Abu Dhabi. EGA is also developing a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa to feed the refinery. Once the ramp up is complete, the refinery will produce 2 million tonnes of alumina per year and meet 40 per cent of EGA’s alumina requirements. Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) announced the production start at Al Taweelah alumina refinery on April 10 2019. 

(Disclaimer: The listing is based upon last documented data available from company and third party sources. Since the total operating alumina refining capacities of a number of Chinese alumina producers are not documented by the owners, our listing includes only the three major alumina producing groups in China.)