Century Aluminum’s proposed USD 4 billion primary aluminum smelter in Inola, Oklahoma, is “moving forward on all fronts” as the company prepares for construction, despite local opposition and legal challenges, CEO Jesse Gary said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call. Developed jointly by Century Aluminum and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the project is designed to produce 750,000 tonnes of primary aluminum annually, potentially doubling U.S. primary aluminum production. The facility is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and add USD 1.5 billion to Oklahoma’s gross domestic product, according to company estimates. The partners had targeted construction to begin by the end of 2026. However, local restrictions and permitting challenges have affected the...
LME aluminium stocks declined by more than half during the first nine months of 2026, falling by 267,875 tonnes from 509,250 tonnes on January 2 to 241,375 tonnes on September 30 (52.6 per cent). The decline continued throughout the period, with average warehouse inventories falling each month. Compared with the same period in 2025, monthly average stocks were lower across all nine months, with the gap widening in the third quarter. Q1 LME aluminium stocks fall 18.2 per cent LME aluminium inventories continued to decline during Q1 2026. Month-end stocks fell from 495,725 tonnes in January to 465,550 tonnes in February, before dropping further to 416,775 tonnes in March. Monthly average inventories stood at 498,670 tonnes in January, 481,801 tonnes in February and 440,710 tonnes in March....
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Alouette has announced the signing of an MoU for long-term energy supplies, which will support the smelter's technological growth and development projects. Under terms of the agreement, Québec government is authorizing Hydro-Québec to provide Aluminerie Alouette with 500 MW of energy, which is required for the expansion project known as Phase III. The expansion would increase Alouette's production from 575,000 to about 930,000 metric tons of primary aluminum per year. Alouette's Phase III project is currently being developed and will be based on research and development programs, equipment improvement and process optimization targeting the implementation of a new energy-efficient potline. The MoU signed today will be instrumental in realizing the potential expansion of Alouette. The Phase...
TEHRAN (ISNA)-The Head of Iranian Mines, Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization Khodamorad Ahmadi said the company has held talks with Russia for investment on Iranian aluminum industry. "We have held dialogues with Russians for funding Iranian aluminum industry. Russia does not accept Iran's gas price. We will hold sessions with Iranian Oil Ministry and inform Russians of the ministry's view on gas price," he told ISNA. He added Iran's aluminum production should total 1.5 million tons by 2025. So far the fund for 800,000 tons of which has been provided and we have started negotiations with Russians for the remaining 900,000 tons.
Within the recent environment of global economic uncertainty, the Company has observed that demand patterns remain stable across the integrated business and the rate of raw material input costs inflation has slowed. For fourth quarter 2011, the Company expects to experience seasonal demand patterns comparable to those seen in fourth quarter 2010 for value-added primary aluminum products such as billet and rod, and for flat rolled products. Despite this seasonal decline in value-added products demand, the Company expects primary aluminum segment total volume for 2011 as a whole to be at or near capacity. Contract renewal and production planning processes for 2012 are ongoing. While the Company’s customers remain cautious in their 2012 forecasts, preliminary indications are that North...
Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd., the nation’s biggest producer of the metal, turned to profit in the third quarter after metal prices increased. The Beijing-based company, known as Chalco, posted net income of 555 million yuan ($87 million), compared with a net loss of 117.8 million yuan a year earlier, according to a Shanghai Stock Exchange filing yesterday. Sales gained 45 percent to 41.6 billion yuan. The average price of aluminum traded in London gained 19 percent on year in the third quarter, helping Chalco widen profit margins amid higher power tariffs. Chairman Xiong Weiping in March vowed to cut costs in 2011 by 2.3 billion yuan. The company also booked a paper profit from futures trading during the quarter, it said, without elaborating. “The third-quarter profit was good partly...
SINGAPORE: LME aluminum is expected to consolidate in a range of $2,096-$2,158 per tonne for one or two trading sessions, before plunging again. The deep fall during the previous trading session has confirmed the resumption of a long-term downtrend, however, it has also overdone a short-term downtrend, and as a reaction, a rebound has been triggered. A Fibonacci retracement analysis on the fall from $2,220 to $2,096.25 reveals the rebound may not travel very far, and most likely it will be capped at $2,158, the 50 percent level. No information in this analysis should be considered as being business, financial or legal advice. Each reader should consult his or her own professional or other advisers for business, financial or legal advice regarding the products mentioned in the analyses.
Alcoa Inc.’s Aluminerie de Bécancour Inc. (ABI) smelter has stopped producing P1020 ingot as off-grade production problems continue at the Bécancour, Quebec-based plant. "We have temporarily stopped production of P1020 and are working to resume production as quickly as possible," an Alcoa spokesman said. "We are recovering from the iron excursion and continue to work with customers to mitigate the impact of this situation."
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), has engaged Lahmeyer International for conducting water availability study for its proposed greenfield smelter in Orissa's Sundargarh district, official sources said. The Navratna PSU's move came following the state government's suggestion to look for new sites after its proposal to build the second smelter in Orissa near Jharsuguda was not considered due to crowding of smelting industries in the region and the attendant pollution. "The company expects to get the state government's nod to set up the plant in Sundargrah district, if the study establishes availability of adequate water," NALCO CMD B L Bagra said. NALCO requires around 90,000 cubic meter of water per day for the proposed smelter project. "The study report would be available by...
India's state-run National Aluminium Co (NALCO) on Tuesday issued a tender to export 9,000 tonnes of aluminium ingots, a senior company official said. The last date for submission of bids is Nov 9. The metal would be shipped in six batches of 1,500 tonnes each from November to April, Ansuman Das, commercial director at NALCO told Reuters. NALCO, whose tenders serve as a global benchmark, last month sold 7,500 tonnes of aluminium ingots at $97 per tonne premium over the average LME cash price on a cost, insurance and freight basis to a Hong Kong-based buyer.
LME aluminum could fall further to $2,161 per tonne, as a short-term downtrend established from the Oct. 27 high of $2,295 is intact within a falling channel. The lower channel line points to $2,161, the 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement on the rise from $2,077.75 to $2,295. A rise above a resistance at $2,233 will violate the bearish outlook.
BNamericas reported that workers at Venezuelan state aluminum reducer Alcasa are once again making contact with private investors to help return operations to normal. Mr Robert Donatti Sintralcasa union's science and technology representative said that "We're open to receiving offers and want to integrate companies that have worked with us in the rolling and smelting areas into the talks." Recently, Mr Henry Arias director of labor relations said that the company was looking for investors to help return plant operations to normal and that many of the company's 89 customers had expressed interest in providing financial support. Mr Donatti said that "We're looking for other options. Several international companies interested in investing in Alcasa have approached us but since the national...
Global mining giant Rio Tinto is readying to sell its aluminium smelting plant Alcan in Lynemouth, Northumberland, and is prepared to close it down if it is not sold. John McCabe from Alcan explained the reasons for the move, “Rio Tinto is streamlining its global aluminium business in order to focus on its top assets globally, unfortunately Lynemouth isn’t considered to be one of them as it does not return 40 per cent rate of return for the business.” “Lynemouth is efficient but it is a high-cost operation; that’s largely due to the cost of producing energy in the UK," Mr McCabe went on to say. If the business does have to be shut down, Mr McCabe said that Alcan would do what it could to help minimise the impact on the 630 staff and local community. GMB Regional Secretary, Tom Brennan,...
Abu Dhabi's Mubadala plans to build a petroleum coke facility in Zhenjiang, China, in a joint venture with the Jiangsu Surun High Carbon Company (Surun) that could start production late next year, the investment fund said on Monday. The joint venture, called Suyadi, will help supply aluminum smelting plants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mubadala said in a statement, without giving any investment cost details. "This joint venture is an important component of our globally integrated portfolio of businesses that support the growth of the UAE's aluminum industry," said Waleed Al-Muhairi, chief operating officer of Mubadala. Construction is expected to start towards the end of 2011, with first production set for export by the end of 2012, it said. The UAE produces around 1.8 million tons...
Quebec’s government is authorizing its provincially owned electric utility to provide Rio Tinto PLC’s Alouette aluminum smelter with a 500-megawatt block of power, a key step for a $2-billion modernization of the facility. The agreement was announced Monday by Quebec Premier Jean Charest at Alouette’s site in Sept-Îles. Alouette, the biggest aluminum smelter in North America, is 40% owned by Rio Tinto Alcan with five other investors including Investissement Quebec owning the remainder. Alouette is moving forward with an expansion project, called Phase 3, that will see it eventually increase production capacity to 930,000 tonnes of aluminum per year from the current 575,000 tonnes. The smelter’s owners will spend an estimated $1.5-billion alone to add a third line of electrolysis cells at...
China’s aluminium production showed no signs of a let-up in September despite power shortages in some areas. According to the CNIA, primary output was 1.58Mt n September, up 20.8% y-o-y, although it fell by 1.1% from the previous month. Total primary output in Jan-Sept of 2011 was 13.48Mt, up 8.25% y-o-y. In terms of annual rate, September’s production points to 19.24Mt, a record high and 413kt higher than the previous month’s level. That means the production cutback by smelters plagued by power shortages in Guangxi, Guizhou and Henan was more than offset by improved of utilisation rates at other smelters. Much of the increase in annualised production could be due to increased efficiency at new smelters in western provinces such as Xinjiang and Ningxia. In September, primary output in...
Japan’s US dollar buying move to curb appreciation of the Japanese Yen and investor doubts towards settlement of details for the EU deal struck at the latest EU Summit had forced the euro to erase previous gains, which in turn pushed the US dollar index to above 76.5% with a nearly 2% gain. Base metals dipped as a result. LME aluminum hit an intraday low of USD 2,182/mt overnight amid profit-taking activities of longs, but later recovered the 30-day moving average supported by bargain-hunting. The metal finally closed at USD 2,219/mt, down USD 26/mt or 1.16%. The space for base metals to rebound has been limited after the US dollar index rebounded back above 76. SMM expects LME aluminum to meet resistance at the 5-day moving average and fluctuate between USD 2,180-2,230/mt today. The most...
China's consumption and supply of aluminium other metals increased substantially in 2010 due to base effects as the world's second largest economy returned to growth above 9%.We expect strong growth in both supply and demand across these sectors as China continues to feed its near insatiable hunger for refined metals. We expect aluminium production to increase at an average annual rate of 5.2%, reaching 20.4mn tonnes (mnt) in 2015 from 15.8mnt in 2010, with most of this growth driven by Yunnan Aluminium and Henan Bowei Aluminium. We expect consumption of aluminium to grow more quickly due to the development of infrastructure, averaging 9.2% per annum over the period and reaching 24.8mnt from 16.2mnt in 2010.
LME aluminum will fall to the Oct. 27 low of $2,208 per tonne as a rebound from the Oct. 20 low of $2,077.75 could have completed around a resistance at $2,277 per tonne. The resistance is the 50 percent Fibonacci retracement on the fall from $2,476 to $2,077.75, and has served as an ultimate high the current rebound could reach. Resistance is at $2,266, a rise above which will violate the bearish outlook.
"VHE Bandsaw Provides and Clean and Efficient Method for Replacement of Damaged Anode Stubs.Replacement of damaged anode stubs is a routine process in all prebake aluminium smelters. In the past, many smelters have used gas torches to cut off damaged stubs, an environmentally unsound process with health and safety considerations due to noise and molten metal. Some rodding shops have opted to unhook rods from the overhead conveyor and use mechanical hacksaws or circular saws in an effort to reduce the dangers and improve the cut quality, a time-cosuming process. For the past ten years VHE of Iceland has supplied an effective and efficient customised band saw, offering energy savings, a low noise profile, clean and precise cut surfaces, and easy and inexpensive blade replacement. The saw is...
