In the first half (H1) of 2026, the US imported a total of 1.68 million metric tons of unwrought aluminum (HSN code: 7601), of which 16.96% was sourced from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). How has H1 2026 fared for the momentum of unwrought aluminum exports from the UAE to the US? Year-on-year cooling in trade can be noticed, largely owing to the temporary shutdown of the Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA’s) Al Taweelah smelter for repair and maintenance. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: “ Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook ” H1 aluminum trade snapshot: 2026 vs 2025 vs 2024 Comparing the H1 2026 figures of unwrought aluminum exported by the UAE to the US, a mixed result...
Norsk Hydro’s earnings outlook for 2027 is facing mounting pressure from falling aluminium premiums, rising operating costs and easing supply tightness in Europe, prompting Goldman Sachs to downgrade the Norwegian producer from ‘buy’ to ‘neutral’ and reduce its price target from NOK 100 (USD 10.71) to NOK 79 (USD 8.46). Goldman said weaker premiums and higher costs were making further earnings growth harder to achieve in 2027. The bank also lowered its core earnings (EBITDA) forecasts for 2026 and 2027 by 6 per cent each, citing lower aluminium prices and rising costs. The changing market conditions come as additional metal from the Middle East reaches the market and Indonesian aluminium supply expands faster than expected, easing European supply constraints sooner than Goldman had...
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Image source: EGA Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has secured a place in the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, a recognition reserved for manufacturing operations that have successfully embedded advanced technologies into day-to-day production. The announcement places the UAE-based producer among a small group of industrial players globally recognised for large-scale use of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions. The designation carries particular significance for EGA. It is the first industrial company in the UAE outside the oil and gas sector to receive Lighthouse status, and the first aluminium producer worldwide to join the network. This recognition clearly marks the company’s shift in focus from pilot projects to enterprise-wide deployment of digital and...
American buyers are now to pay a 68 per cent premium over the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price to get physical metal. This is the result of Trump’s increasing import tariffs from 10 per cent to 25 per cent back in March and then ramping them up to 50 per cent in June. The premium for physical delivery in the US Midwest is now traded at an additional USD 560 per metric tonne above the implied tariff cost, indicating a total aluminium price increasing more than USD 5,000 per tonne. The country is now grappling with a shortage of a metal necessary for various industries, from automotive and aerospace to construction and packaging. Although on paper, the needed supply should flow in due to the record-high premium for US delivery, but the reality is rather challenging. Also read:...
Going by the world primary aluminium production trend since 2020, 2025 saw the slowest pace in half a decade, reflecting a structural shift rather than a cycling dip. According to the International Aluminium Institute, world primary aluminium production grew by only 1.06 per cent, a sharpest deceleration from the 3.24 per cent growth recorded in 2024. Between 2020 and 2023, the world primary aluminium production growth remained between 2.4 and 2.9 per cent, underscoring how exceptional 2025 proved to be. Yet despite this muted growth, 2025 became one of the most closely watched years for the aluminium industry, as it coincided with China nearing its long-anticipated 45‑million‑tonne production cap and a visible pivot across regions from primary production to recycling-led supply...
Aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange rose sharply on January 23, with both cash and forward contracts posting gains of more than 2 per cent compared with the previous session. The LME aluminium cash bid price climbed to USD 3,174.5 per tonne on January 23 from USD 3,093 per tonne on January 22, marking an increase of 2.63 per cent. The cash offer price rose to USD 3,175 per tonne from USD 3,093.5 per tonne, also up 2.63 per cent day-on-day. In the forward market, the LME aluminium 3-month bid price increased to USD 3,176 per tonne on January 23 from USD 3,113.5 per tonne on January 22, a gain of 2.01 per cent. The 3-month offer price rose to USD 3,177 per tonne from USD 3,114 per tonne, up 2.02 per cent. The December 27 aluminium contract also strengthened. The bid price moved up...
On January 19, Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister (CM) of the Indian state of Maharashtra, commended the rapid execution of an aluminium manufacturing project worth INR 5 billion (USD 54.6 million). Led by the entrepreneur Bharat Gite, often called the ‘Aluminium Man of India’, the project was viewed as a rare example of fast-track industrial implementation. The project, which moved from a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed at the World Economic Forum last year to full-scale production within a year, was cited by the CM as a benchmark for industrial execution in the state. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain Fadnavis interacted with Gite at the Forum and praised the initiative. “The fact that a...
After the close of the previous session, the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price declined across major contracts. However, there was a significant rise on the inventory front with a slight decline in the cancelled warrants on January 22. The LME cash bid declined by USD 19 per tonne or 0.6 per cent, moving from USD 3,112 per tonne to USD 3,093 per tonne. Alongside, the cash offer also inched down by USD 20.2 per tonne, shifting from 3,114 per tonne to USD 3,093.5 per tonne. Don’t miss out- Buyers are looking for your products on our B2B platform At the futures market, both the 3-month bid and offer inched down by USD 9 per tonne or 0.3 per cent, where the bid went down to USD 3,113.5 per tonne from USD 3,122.5 per tonne and the offer to USD 3,114 per tonne from USD 3,123 per...
Imagine running a factory where one input dominates the cost structure and suddenly, far richer buyers start paying more for the same supply. That is the pressure aluminium smelters are now facing which affacets the overall aluminium smelting outlook 2026. From Europe to Australia to the United States, competition for electricity is quietly deciding which plants keep operating, which manage partial restarts, and which slip into permanent shutdown. The output is retreating across several regions. The explanation is not found in metal markets, but in megawatts. When electricity becomes the real raw material What does it take to make aluminium competitive for global aluminium outlook 2026? Not ore, not labour - but power. Electricity accounts for roughly 30-50 per cent of smelting costs, and...
AL Circle launches its latest industry-focused market research report—" Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 ”— a concise, data-driven guide to a year that will deliver twists, turns, and transitions across the aluminium value chain. As cost curves reset, trade flows realign, and decarbonisation accelerates, 2026 emerges as a pivotal inflection point for strategy and investment. What is important in this report? The report delivers a vital future market analysis grounded in comprehensive market data analysis, tracking global market trends across regions and segments. It examines mounting upstream pressures in bauxite and alumina, including supply concentration, energy exposure, and policy risks, while mapping how these forces cascade into primary aluminium availability and pricing. At...
Aluminium is everywhere in Europe’s economy, from power transmission and renewable energy systems to transport, defence, construction and packaging. Its importance has led the European Union to classify aluminium as a critical and strategic raw material. The challenge now is whether Europe’s aluminium supply chain is keeping pace with the scale of that dependence. Europe also likes to point out that it produces aluminium more cleanly than almost anyone else. Recycling rates are high. Carbon intensity is low compared with the global average. On sustainability metrics, the region performs well. But inside the industry, the picture looks far less comfortable. Energy costs remain structurally high. Global trade remains distorted. Scrap is increasingly leaving the region. Carbon leakage risks...
The Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) has firmly rejected claims that the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) is being sold, clarifying that the government is instead pursuing a carefully structured strategic partnership to revive and expand the long-idled smelter. The clarification comes amid heightened public debate around state-owned industrial assets and Ghana’s broader industrialisation drive. To know more about the global primary aluminium industry 2026 outlook, access the report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 ”. GIADEC further apprised that a strategic equity investor has been shortlisted who would support VALCO with capital investment and technical expertise. However, the control of the asset will remain under public control. Also Read: VALCO’s...
London Metal Exchange aluminium prices weakened across most contracts on January 21, reflecting a broad pullback from the previous session, while exchange inventories reflected significant improvement. The LME aluminium cash bid price continued to decline, reaching USD 3,112 on January 21 from USD 3,136.5 per tonne on January 20, a 0.78 per cent drop. The cash offer price followed a similar trend, easing to USD 3114 per tonne from USD 3,137 per tonne, also decreasing 0.74 per cent day-on-day. In the futures market, the LME aluminium 3-month bid price continued to edge downwards to USD 3,122.5 per tonne, compared with USD 3,135.5 per tonne the previous day, recording a 0.41 per cent decrease. The 3-month offer price slipped lower to USD 3,123 per tonne from USD 3,136 per tonne, a similar...
A single smelter has had immense impact on the global trade scenario. Mozal’s closure hit the CBAM impacted nations, tightened the global aluminium supply chain scenario and now is influencing the Japan’s Q1 2026 aluminium premium with around a 127 per cent hike quarter-on-quarter. After a year of buyer resistance and sliding settlements, the country’s benchmark aluminium premium has snapped back sharply. But is Mozal the only inhibiting factor for Japan? And why are analysts anticipating similar premium bracket for Q2 2026? Japan’s quarterly premium for imported primary aluminium surged to USD 195 per tonne CIF for January-March 2026 (Q1), a jump from the roughly USD 86 per tonne settled for Q4 2025. The market spent most of last year defined by weak demand, buyer pushback and collapsing...
Angola President João Lourenço has inaugurated an electrolytic aluminium plant, marking a new development towards industrial diversification and job creation. Located in the Barra do Dande Free Trade Zone in Bengo province, Angola, the facility represents the first phase of a five-stage project requiring an initial investment of USD 250 million. To know more about the global primary aluminium industry 2026 outlook, book the report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 ”. The plant is part of the Huatong Aluminium Industrial Park, a large-scale industrial venture led by a consortium of two subsidiaries of China’s Hebei Huatong Wire and Cables Group. Once operational, the first phase will have an annual production capacity of 120,000 tonnes of electrolytic aluminium, a key industrial...
At the 28th edition of Kalahandi Utsav – Ghumura 2026, India's largest aluminium producer, Vedanta Aluminium, showcased its key operations and community development activities while demonstrating a clear view of aluminium production and applications. To know more about the global primary aluminium industry 2026 outlook, book the report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 ". Held over five days in Bhawanipatna, Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery pavilion attracted over 30,000 people, engaging them in a walkthrough of the complex aluminium value chain. The simplified explanation of the bauxite mining to aluminium smelting process helped students, local residents, and policymakers understand how the metal is produced and where it is used in everyday life, from infrastructure and...
London Metal Exchange aluminium prices weakened across most contracts on January 20, reflecting a broad pullback from the previous session, while exchange inventories continued to edge lower. The LME aluminium cash bid price slipped to USD 3,136.5 per tonne on January 20 from USD 3,168 per tonne on January 19, marking a 0.99 per cent decline. The cash offer price followed a similar trajectory, easing to USD 3,137 per tonne from USD 3,168.5 per tonne, also down 0.99 per cent day-on-day. In the futures market, the LME aluminium 3-month bid price edged marginally lower to USD 3,135.5 per tonne, compared with USD 3,138 per tonne a day earlier, representing a 0.08 per cent decrease. The 3-month offer price saw a sharper adjustment, falling to USD 3,136 per tonne from USD 3,152 per tonne, a...
中文翻译附于新闻末尾，敬请继续阅读。 Nanshan Aluminium International Holdings Limited is all set to start off preparatory works in 2026 on a new electrolytic aluminium facility in Indonesia’s Galang Batang Special Economic Zone. The facility is planned to produce up to 250,000 tonnes of aluminium a year, with development costs estimated at roughly USD 436.57 million spread across two years, subject to pending environmental and building approvals. To know more about the global primary aluminium industry 2026 outlook, pre-book the report " Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 ” at a special price. The expansion does not stop there. Over the medium to long term, the Group is also assessing the development of a further electrolytic aluminium project with a planned capacity of up to 500,000 tonnes per year....
Gold and silver have been stealing the spotlight in recent weeks, pushed higher by a mix of geopolitical anxiety, tariff threats from the United States, and deepening supply - demand imbalances. But apart from these two precious metals, aluminium has been quietly moving in the same direction - less as a safe haven and more as a reflection of how unsettled the global economy has become. The spark has come from rising geopolitical tensions, including renewed friction around Greenland and former US President Donald Trump’s warning of sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on large parts of Europe unless a “complete and total purchase” of the Arctic island is secured. Markets reacted quickly. Capital flowed into assets seen as protection against uncertainty. Gold surged past major technical levels,...
Brijendra Pratap Singh, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO), observed that the Indian aluminium sector is not well-equipped for a full-fledged transition to green aluminium. It spikes concern, especially in the context of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). While unlike Vedanta and Hindalco, it does not export directly to the US and therefore, was not impacted by US tariffs, CBAM poses a great challenge before NALCO. Nonetheless, aluminium demand in the domestic market is expected to remain strong. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Outlook 2026 insights across the value chain CBAM’s threat to NALCO and the Indian aluminium industry CBAM is designed to tax imports based on their carbon footprint to prevent...
