South32 expects the sale of its aluminium value chain assets to Alcoa to be completed in the six months ending June 2027. The proposed transaction covers its aluminium operations and related bauxite and alumina assets in South Africa, Australia and Brazil. The sale follows a binding conditional agreement signed by the two companies, under which Alcoa agreed to acquire the assets for up to USD 5.6 billion . The assets include South32's Hillside Aluminium smelter and the idled Bayside smelter in South Africa, its interests in the Boddington bauxite mine and Worsley alumina refinery in Australia, and the Mineração Rio do Norte bauxite mine and Alumar alumina refinery and aluminium smelter in Brazil. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our...
LME aluminium cash prices recorded an increase on November 5, 2026, with the cash offer price rising by 0.80 per cent day on day to USD 3,160 per tonne from USD 3,135 per tonne on November 4. On November 5, the LME aluminium cash bid price stood at USD 3,158 per tonne, up by 0.75 per cent from USD 3,134.5 per tonne recorded on November 4. The cash offer price increased by USD 25 per tonne. Similarly, LME aluminium 3-month prices moved higher. The 3-month bid price rose by 0.78 per cent to USD 3,097 per tonne on November 5 from USD 3,073 per tonne on November 4. The 3-month offer price increased by 0.76 per cent to USD 3,097.5 per tonne from USD 3,074 per tonne. For December 27 contracts, the bid price advanced by 0.33 per cent to USD 2,997 per tonne on November 5 from USD 2,987 per tonne...
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Rio Tinto has completed the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary Coal & Allied Industries Limited to Yancoal Australia Limited. From today, Yancoal takes over management of Rio Tinto’s thermal coal business in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. Rio Tinto will receive total consideration of $2.69 billion for the sale, together with customary adjustments for net debt and net working capital at completion. The $2.69 billion comprises $2.45 billion in cash paid today and a further $240 million of unconditional guaranteed royalty payments. The first royalty payment of $10 million was made today and an additional $100 million will be received by the end of this year. A further $90 million is expected before the end of 2018. Under the terms of the sale, Rio Tinto may also receive an...
SHFE Aluminium bounced back yesterday, August 31 after the drop the day before. Rally in SHFE 1709 aluminium encouraged traders to throng the east China spot market. Downstream producers still bought as per their demand. Mainstream traded prices for aluminium were RMB16, 220-16,260/tonne in Shanghai, RMB16,220-16,250/tonne in Wuxi and RMB16,200-16,220/tonne in Hangzhou. Spot discounts of RMB 250-240/tonne were offered over SHFE 1709 aluminium. During Thursday’s night trading, most of the base metals finished higher, especially aluminium, zinc and nickel. SHFE 1711 aluminium is expected to fall back to RMB 16,560-16,740/tonne on Friday. SMM continues to observe that many downstream producers in Zhejiang closed operations due to environmental issue, hurting local demand for aluminium....
LME aluminium strengthens again. The light metal contract which closed at US$2,066.5 per tonne on Wednesday, August 30, edged higher to close at US$2,113.5 per tonne on Thursday, August 31. According to Shanghai Metals Market forecast, LME aluminium may continue to hover at highs in the short term but will lack any further upward momentum. On Friday, September 1, it is expected to range at US$2,110-2,140 per tonne. As on August 31, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,113 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,113.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,130 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,132 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,170 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is US$2,175 per tonne. LME aluminium Opening Stock stands at...
LME aluminium continues to move in a wide trading range. From the earlier close of US$2,092 per tonne on Tuesday, August 29, the light metal contract fell to US42,066.5 per tonne on Wednesday, August 30. According to Shanghai Metals Market forecast, LME aluminium will continue to hover around its 5-day and 10-day moving averages in the foreseeable future, and range at US$2,075-2,100 per tonne on Thursday, August 31. Reuters’ technical analysis suggests that LME aluminium is neutral in the US$2081-2,103 per tonne range; any escape from this bracket would suggest a trend. An extend stay below US$2,119 per tonne level might enhance the chance of the light metal going down towards US$1,958 per tonne. As on August 30, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,066 per...
Yunnan Aluminium Co Ltd., one of China's major aluminium producing companies, announced that the company has decided to acquire aluminium manufacturer Qujing Aluminum Co. for 35 million yuan. Qujing Aluminum Co. has a production capacity of 380,000 tonnes per year. Yunnan Aluminium will 94.35% stake in Qujing Aluminum Co. The acquisition will allow the company to expand its total production capacity to 1.6 million tonnes per year, as reported by SMM. Yunnan Aluminium Co Ltd. engaged in aluminium smelting as well as the manufacture and supply of aluminium semi-finished products. The company announced its production target for aluminium and other products for the second half of 2017. Yunnan Aluminum sets a goal to produce 650,000 tonnes of alumina, 600,000 tonnes of primary aluminium, and...
Despite political uncertainty, German aluminium industry grew satisfactorily in the first half of 2017, supported by overall growth of the economy. Aluminium producers and converters combined, the total production increased year-on-year. The volume excludes aluminium semis production which dropped marginally during the period under review. As per the Joint German Occupational Safety and Health Strategy (GDA) data, German aluminium sector produced around 660,900 tonnes of aluminium during January-June 2017, up 5.7 per cent YoY. The figure comprises 273,100 tonnes of primary aluminium and 387,800 tonnes of recycled aluminium. While primary aluminium production was up by 0.7 per cent, production of recycled aluminium was higher by 9.6 per cent than the same period previous year. Aluminium...
Russia's public sector power company Rushydro may join Rusal’s new aluminium smelter project in Siberia, as shared by the board chairman of the company to Reuters. Rusal, the world's No.2 aluminium producer is resuming work on the Taishet project now which was on halt due to low aluminium prices. "We will discuss this at the board meeting. In general, I think that taking such a decision (to join the Taishet project) is possible," said Yuri Trutnev, also Russian deputy prime minister in charge of developing the Far East. If this project comes into operation, Rushydro will be able to sell its excess power and Rusal would return to its pre-economic crisis aluminium output levels of over 4 million tonnes per year. Rusal’s current aluminium output stands at 3.7 million tonnes. Rushydro's board...
Sohar Aluminium, the host of the upcoming ARABAL 2017 conference, will bring more than 60 international renowned experts from a broad spectrum of the global aluminium industry to Oman. Joining over 500 delegates and exhibitors, these experts will share their insights and expertise over a range of topics related to the conference theme of ‘ Driving Strategic Growth across the Global Aluminium Industry’ . Scheduled to be held in Muscat from the 6 th -9 th of November 2017, at Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, the industry event is set to be the ideal platform to share ideas that will drive growth and feed into the region’s ongoing economic diversification strategies. One of the most anticipated sessions, the Industry Keynote Panel, features high level representatives from ARABAL...
LME aluminium seems to be somewhat losing its steam. The light metal which closed at US$2096.50 last Friday, August 25, dropped to US$2,092 per tonne on Tuesday, August 29. As per Shanghai Metals Market forecast, LME aluminium will continue to move widely around the 5-day and 10-day moving averages and range at US$2,075-2,100 per tonne on Wednesday, August 30. Reuters’ technical analysis suggests that LME aluminium may retrace US$2,065 per tonne, the low reached on August 25, as its correction has yet not completed. As on August 29, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,090 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,092.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,103 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,104 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is...
On Tuesday’s night trading, SHFE base metals mostly finished lower, including aluminium and today SHFE base metals are expected to hover at highs. SHFE 1711 aluminium will move within RMB 16,200-16,550/t today, with resistance at the 5-day and 10-day moving averages. SMM reports shortage of calcined coke in China, the raw material for making prebaked anode. Despite meeting all environmental protections standards, one prebaked anode producer in Shanxi is suffering from calcined coke shortages and running at 75% of its capacity. The fall in production of prebaked anode may trigger supply shortfall and which may lift the prices of prebaked anode in the near term. Henan Shenhuo Group, an integrated commodity producer, which, together with its subsidiaries, produces primary aluminium as well...
Potline failure in aluminium smelters has long been a serious technological issue for primary aluminium producers. In last five years, as many as nine big aluminium smelters of the world faced major potline failure challenges which resulted in loss of man-hours and productivity up to varying extents. Time and again companies have engaged in extensive technology upgrades to combat the effects of potline failure, but only a handful of them were able to somewhat lower the frequency of the incidents. AlCircle in its exclusive report “Power Outage and Potline Failure in Aluminium Smelters: Observations and Recent Case Studies (2013-2017)” has tried to join the dots by looking into some of the major potline failure incidents that happened between 2013 and 2017. The report has already caught the...
Hydro announced the grand opening of the new pilot plant located at its existing aluminium plant in Karmøy, Norway. The new plant is the world’s most climate-friendly aluminium production technology, according to the company press release. The 60 new electrolysis cells will produce 75,000 tonnes of primary aluminium a year. First metal from the technology pilot is expected towards the end of this year. Hydro President and CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg said: “This is a technological breakthrough. No one has managed to produce aluminium with such low energy consumption and high productivity as Hydro will at full-scale production.” “Hydro is very proud that we have managed to develop a technology that reduces energy consumption, on average, by about 15 percent per kilo of aluminium produced,...
Cash crunch at the month’s end has slowed down trading activities in China’s spot market for aluminium. Downstream producers in south China market have maintained a wait and watch stance against weakening SHFE ALUMINIUM. Mainstream traded prices were 16,090-16,130 yuan/tonne in Guangdong, a premium of 90 yuan/tonne over Shanghai. SHFE 1711 aluminum opened at RMB 16,320/mt on Monday and went up to RMB 16,525/mt in the afternoon. But, prices then fell back on short selling, and ended at RMB 16,450/mt. For SHFE 1711 aluminum, trading volumes rose to 283,892 lots. SHFE 1711 aluminium is expected to fluctuate at highs in the short term. Optimism in the aluminium market has proved beneficial for the stocks of major aluminium producers in China. CITIC Trust spent $700 million in buying 10% of...
LME aluminium remained unchanged at US$2,096.50 per tonne till yesterday, August 28, as London Stock Exchange was closed due to summer bank holiday. On resuming trading today, the light metal contract is expected to fall in the range of US$2,060-2,085 per tonne. As per Shanghai Metals Market forecast, LME aluminium will meet resistance at the 5-day and 10-day moving averages on Tuesday, August 29. As on August 25, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,095.50 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,096.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,097 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,099 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,137 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is US$2,142 per tonne. LME aluminium Opening Stock stands at 1321600 tonnes, total...
Aluminium production in India is projected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5 per cent over the next 2-3 years fuelled by the rising domestic demand, according to a new report by CARE Ratings. The report titled “Aluminium Industry: The Silver Knight of the Economy,” says that various central government initiatives like Smart Cities campaign along with ramping up of the existing aluminium smelter capacities would boost the overall output. Owing to its low-cost advantage, surplus primary metal stock will continue to be exported earning foreign revenues for the country. According to CARE, aluminium consumption growth in India is likely to be driven by the growth in electrical and power transmission, and automobile sector. Demand from the building and construction sector...
On last Friday’s night trading, all base metals on SHFE including aluminium fell back and registered obvious declines, except copper. Prices are expected to fluctuate at highs after fallback. SHFE aluminium is expected to hover within a range of RMB16,150-16,450/t on Monday, August 28. In another update, SMM observes that aluminium stocks in China’s seven major markets have added another 57,000 tonnes week-on-week to 1.53 million tonnes this week. The growth in stock is mostly driven by slow consumption Due to off-season slow demand and higher aluminium prices, downstream producers are buying cautiously and working with stocks in hand. Some downstream producers have halted production as a result of environmental inspection which has further affected aluminium demand. Aluminium producers...
LME aluminium corrected down from the highs of US$2,105 per tonne on Thursday, August 24, to US$2,096.50 per tonne on Friday, August 25. Though the correction, analysts say, is reasonable following the huge price gains, it is likely to give in to a wide-range trading in the short term. According to Shanghai Metals Market forecast, LME aluminium will fluctuate widely around its 5-day moving average in the range of US$2,050-2,085 per tonne on Monday, August 28. As on August 25, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,095.50 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,096.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,097 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,099 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,137 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is US$2,142 per...
Yunnan Aluminium Co Ltd., one of China's major aluminium producing companies, has announced its production target for aluminium and other products for the second half of this year, according to Shanghai Metals Market. Yunnan Aluminum Co. sets a goal to produce 260,000 tonnes of carbon, 650,000 tonnes of alumina, 600,000 tonnes of primary aluminium, and 310,000 tonnes of aluminium processed products in the second half of 2017. The company’s large alumina project in Laos will come up in H2 2017. The company’s revenue increased 42.22 per cent year-on-year to 10.11 billion yuan in the first half of 2017. Yunnan Aluminium posted net profit of 147 million yuan in H1 2017, up 187.70 per cent year-on-year. For the full year ended March 31, 2017, it reported 111 million yuan in net profit, up...
