Fire crews responded to a molten aluminium spill at Bridgnorth Aluminium on September 14 afternoon after the incident caused several small fires at the facility. Crews from Bridgnorth and Much Wenlock arrived shortly before 4 pm on September 14. The incident was recorded as a building fire, and operations officers also attended. Firefighters dealt with the fires caused by the molten aluminium spill. The incident also shows the role fire crews can play when such an incident occurs at a production facility. Molten aluminium is handled at very high temperatures, so a quick response is important when a spill leads to fire. Firefighters are trained to deal with these situations and can provide industries with support when an unexpected incident takes place. Prompt actions play a key role in...
Futures: The most-traded SHFE aluminium 2610 contract closed at RMB 24,150 per tonne, up RMB 110 or 0.46 per cent from yesterday's settlement price. It opened at RMB 24,120 per tonne during the day and fluctuated in the range of RMB 24,075-24,195 per tonne. Prices traded below MA5 (24,205.00) and MA10 (24,312.50), and above MA30 (24,065.00) and MA60 (23,616.83). The short-term rebound structure has been partially repaired, while the consolidation pattern continues, with short-term moving averages above forming key resistance. The MACD DIF (123.0407) is below DEA (150.9039), and the MACD green bar stands at -55.7263, indicating bulls' momentum remains weak. The suggested core trading range for SHFE aluminium is RMB 23,800-24,600 per tonne. The LME aluminium 3M contract settled at USD 3,249...
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LME aluminium opened at US$2,626.5 per tonne on Thursday and closed at US$2,604.5 per tonne, a decrease of US$1 per tonne or 0.04 per cent. On February 2, Thursday, the LME aluminium cash bid price slumped by US$38 per tonne or 1.45 per cent to log at US$2,572 per tonne and the LME aluminium official settlement price plunged by US$38.50 per tonne or 1.47 per cent, settling at US$2,572.50 per tonne. The aluminium price witnessed a sudden rise on February 1, again falling prey to the declining trend, the next day. The 3-month bid price and the 3-month offer price have dropped by US$35 per tonne or 1.32 per cent, officially resting at US$2,607 per tonne and US$2,609 per tonne. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price have both halted at US$2,768 per tonne and US$2,773 per tonne on...
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has appointed Pankaj Kumar Sharma as the new Production Director of the Navratna CPSE, effective from February 1. The CMD of NALCO, Sridhar Patra, has formally lauded Shri Pankaj Sharma for taking this great responsibility as a Director (Production). He is optimistic about this incredible addition to the group and claims the joining might further solidify the authority of NALCO’s Board in the international metal market. Before accepting this new position, Pankaj Sharma was active in NMDC as the Chief General Manager at Global Exploration Centre in Raipur, alongside residing on the CEO’s chair for the Joint Venture (JV) Company NMDC-CMDC Ltd. He also was designated as the CEO of Bastar Railway Pvt. Ltd., Raipur. Pankaj Sharma earned his...
The year 2023 started with a lot of hope keeping behind the fear of the pandemic and with an anticipation that the geopolitical crisis will conclude; however, it seems challenging to happen soon. In January 2023, the aluminium industry witnessed a lot of events, out of which the most difficult was Slovakia's sole aluminium producer, Slovalco, closing its smelters after 70 years of operation. The energy crisis persists, and the primary aluminium industry in Europe is countering the challenges. AlCircle launched the "Global Aluminium Outlook 2023", which revealed that World aluminium usage, including primary and recycled metal, increased by about 1.9 per cent in 2022 and stood at 95.3 million tonnes. High inflation and the continuing threat of recession will negatively impact global...
The New South Wales Government has vouched to work together with the most emission-prone industries of the area to morph them into low-carbon facilities. This is to commemorate the milestone-worthy decision the NSW Government made to plot for total decarbonisation in the heavy industrial zones. The most esteemed participants in the drive would be non-ferrous metal manufacturer Tomago Aluminium, chemical discoverer Orica, cement maker Boral and starch-generating group Manildra. Member of the NSW legislative assembly, Mr Kean, exemplified: “We are working with industry to transform NSW into an innovative, thriving low carbon economy. Accelerating the deployment of deep decarbonisation technology will help the industry prosper in a net zero economy and open up new markets for NSW-made...
On Wednesday, February 1, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative announced it successfully certified Yunnan Hongtai New Material Co., Ltd., a subsidiary operation of China Hongqiao Group Co., Ltd., against the Performance Standard V2 (2017) Certification. Yunnan Hongtai, located in Wenshan City, is involved in research and development, production and sales of liquid aluminium and aluminium ingots products. Its smelting operations, with a design capacity of 2.03 million tonnes per year of liquid aluminium and aluminium ingot, are based on hydropower. ASI Performance Standard sets out 59 criteria under the three sustainability pillars of Environment, Social, and Governance, which address critical issues like biodiversity, labour rights, Indigenous Peoples rights, and greenhouse gas emissions. On...
A00 aluminium ingot price has escalated by RMB 50 per tonne, halting at RMB 19,010 per tonne, as the Shanghai Metals Market recorded on February 2. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 18,990 per tonne and RMB 19,030 per tonne, with spot contracts trading at discount prices of RMB 120 per tonne and RMB 80 per tonne. The eight provinces in China have witnessed increasing prices today, with aluminium prices heightening the highest in Shenyang and Tianjin by RMB 70 per tonne to rest at RMB 18,980 per tonne and RMB 19,030 per tonne. Other than that, provinces like Gongyi, Foshan, Hangzhou and Chongqing all have seen RMB 60 per tonne hike in aluminium prices, resting at RMB 18,850 per tonne, RMB 19,060 per tonne, RMB 19,020 per tonne and RMB 19,040 per tonne. In Wuxi, the...
According to a report on Wednesday, February 1, Rusal has started producing aluminium-scandium master alloys, the most technologically complex among melted master alloys, at its Krasnoyarsk Aluminium Smelter. Master alloy is a base metal consisting of a relatively high percentage of one or two other elements and is used to make alloys. The project, with a production capacity of over 5,000 tonnes of melted master alloys per year, needed an investment of US$7.5 million. Employees of the Rusal Engineering and Technology Centre worked hard on the project for several years. The main consumer of the product will be Rusal itself, while some will be supplied to external customers, which are major metal producers in Russia. Rusal is the largest consumer of master alloys in Russia. Earlier, the...
LME aluminium opened at US$2,641.5 per tonne on Wednesday and closed the session at US$2,605.5 per tonne, down US$42.5 per tonne or 1.6 per cent. On Wednesday, February 1, both LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price surged by US$77.5 per tonne or 3.06 per cent and 3.05 per cent to stand at US$2,610 per tonne and US$2,611 per tonne. 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price also hiked by US$68.5 per tonne or 2.66 per cent and US$70 per tonne or 2.71 per cent. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price gained US$58 per tonne or 2.11 per cent to score at US$2,798 per tonne and US$2,803 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock halted at 404150 tonnes. Live warrants and Cancelled warrants came in at 231125 tonnes and 173025 tonnes. LME aluminium 3-month...
Introduction Since the last part of 2022, the world has witnessed a number of developments and conflicts in the world of technology. Those had been related to the new-age technology areas known as Exponential Technologies. It started when the San Francisco headquartered & Microsoft-backed company OpenAI launched ChatGPT, an advanced Generative Progressive Transformer (GPT-4) based chatbot. Since the launch, it has disrupted not only the chatbot space but also the overall AI and the perception of the same. Globally the enthusiasts, testers, potential users, competitors and even the scientists started testing the beta version of ChatGPT, and across the board, mesmerisation was the consistent initial reaction. Of course, the free beta version had some limitations, like the training data set...
Vedanta Limited has curtailed its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices by INR 3,500 per tonne, with effect from February 1, 2023. That brought the company’s aluminium ingot price to INR 238,500-269,000 per tonne versus INR 242,000- 272,500 per tonne on January 31. Vedanta’s aluminium wire rod price has come in at INR 246,000-253,500 per tonne as of February 1, down by INR 3,500 per tonne or 1.4 per cent from INR 249,500-257,000 per tonne on January 31. Aluminium billet price stands at INR 247,500 per tonne, with effect from February 1, in contrast to INR 251,000 per tonne a day ago. Vedanta links its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices to the three-month futures of aluminium on the London Metal Exchange, which declined for the past three consecutive days by US$64.50 per...
Ali Al Baqali, the CEO of Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the world's largest aluminium smelters ex-China, was recognized by the National Safety Council's (NSC) list for the 'CEOs Who Get It' list in 2023. Being the only Arab on the list, he was honoured for his dedication to preserving and enhancing the safety culture for Alba employees and Contractors' workers across the Company. The National Safety Council (NSC) honours executives each year who have developed their organizations' safety strategies utilizing four essential elements: risk reduction, performance assessment, safety management tools, leadership, and employee involvement. "We are Safety-minded as we have established the right balance between our top-down and the bottom-up management and the key to a strong Safety culture is...
The EU-funded HyInHeat project explores the possibility of utilizing hydrogen as a fuel source in the aluminium and steel sectors. With a budget of €24 million, the project intends to incorporate hydrogen into the high-temperature heating processes of energy-intensive sectors, with €17.7 million coming from the EU. The project's primary goal will be accomplished by redesigning, modifying, and implementing infrastructure in eight demonstrations at technical centres and manufacturing facilities, together with equipment including burners, measurement and control technologies, and infrastructure. To decarbonize the heating and melting processes used in the aluminium and steel industries, HyInHeat implements effective hydrogen combustion systems that nearly span their whole process chains....
According to the US Census Bureau data, the United States domestic primary aluminium production in November 2022 stood at 62,000 tonnes, registering a decrease of 2,000 tonnes or 3.15 per cent month-on-month from 64,000 tonnes. The USGS data also shows the US primary aluminium output in November 2022 edged a sharp fall of 13,000 tonnes or 17.33 per cent from 75,000 tonnes. However, despite the drop in monthly production, the United States average daily output of primary aluminium in November 2022 stood 1 per cent higher M-o-M from 2,050 tonnes to 2,070 tonnes. On a year-on-year calculation, the daily production in November’22 was 18.33 per cent less than 2,510 tonnes. Total aluminium recovered from scrap in November 2022 was 277,000 tonnes, down by 2.12 per cent from 283,000 tonnes in...
The aluminium processing industry must be able to adapt to the fast-changing environment we are facing nowadays. With the aim of helping the aluminium industry in this non-stop adaptation, Insertec is working on the definition of tomorrow´s aluminium processing facilities, focusing on three key areas: efficiency, sustainability & knowledge. Efficiency: Efficiency goes far beyond having a plant that respects emission regulations or monitoring energy consumption. Being efficient in 2023 means making the most of the full potential of a facility: achieving optimal profitability without losing sight of the well-being of people and the protection of the environment. Our automation department is focusing on two strategic lines to achieve the most efficient facilities: robotics and data...
The ongoing global energy crisis has exposed the fragility of our energy systems and supply chains, putting European manufacturing industries, especially the energy-intensive aluminium sector, in a vulnerable position. Despite the growing demand for aluminium in clean technologies like solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles, the industry is struggling to maintain production levels. In the past year alone, primary aluminium production has declined by a staggering 50%. The energy crisis has also impacted the gas-dependent semi-fabrication and recycling sectors, which are experiencing mounting losses. This precarious situation is further compounded by the fact that other leading economies offering low-cost energy and high levels of state aid are increasingly attracting...
On Wednesday, February 1, A00 aluminium ingot price in China has hiked by RMB 230 per tonne, compared to the previous day, where the price had witnessed a fall of RMB 40 per tonne. The price as of today closed at RMB 18,960 per tonne, with the spot contract price expected to be traded at a discount price of RMB 130 to RMB 90 per tonne. The average price may range between RMB 18,940 per tonne and RMB 18,980 per tonne. The prices in Foshan, Chongqing and Linyi have ascended by RMB 230 per tonne to peg at RMB 19,000 per tonne, RMB 18,980 per tonne and RMB 18,960 per tonne. In Wuxi, the A00 aluminium ingot price has grown by RMB 225 per tonne to score at RMB 18,955 per tonne, followed by a growth of RMB 220 per tonne in Gongyi and Hangzhou, where the price halted at RMB 18,790 per tonne and...
On January 31, 2023, Vedanta Aluminium announced that to finance its capital expenditures and lessen its carbon impact, it had raised $250 million (INR 2,045 crore approx.) through sustainability-linked loans from international banks. The ability of the borrower to satisfy sustainability goals is a factor in the interest rate of sustainability-linked loans. However, the company intends to use these funds for capital expenditure to achieve the decarbonization and safety performance criteria used to determine the loan terms. The loan will fuel the company's expansion, including manufacturing value-added aluminium products. International banks from the Middle East and the Far East, such as Mashreq Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and CTBC Bank, are among the lenders. Rahul Sharma, the CEO of the...
LME aluminium opened at US$2,572 per tonne on Tuesday and closed at US$2,648 per tonne, an increase of US$82 per tonne or 3.2 per cent. On January 31, Tuesday, the LME aluminium cash bid price and the LME aluminium official settlement price plunged by US$43.50 per tonne or 1.69 per cent, settling at US$2,532.50 per tonne and US$2,533.50 per tonne. The LME aluminium price has been on a downward trend from January 26, with a gradual decline throughout the week until the end of the month. The 3-month bid price dipped by US$39.50 per tonne or 1.51 per cent, officially resting at US$2,573.50 per tonne, and the 3-month offer price saw a decrease of US$41 per tonne or 1.57 per cent to halt at US$2,574 per tonne. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price anchored at US$2,740 per tonne and...
