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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2016 has turned out to be a buoyant year for primary aluminium after a long period of volatility. LME aluminium prices recovered 13.4% in 2016 ending the year with a rate of USD 1714 per ton. The market sentiment on aluminium has improved considerably since the beginning of 2016, when prices hovered at a range of USD 1466 to USD 1500 per ton. Falling supply in China with the closure of capacity and demand growth as the result of China’s infrastructure initiatives supported the price throughout the year. The production base for primary aluminium has visibly shifted to Asia while the market primarily remains in the east. {newsStudioGallery} Here we are trying to analyse the trading pattern for primary aluminium covering the major primary aluminium suppliers in Asia. We are considering four...
Alcoa Corporation, a global leader in bauxite, alumina, and aluminium production reported fourth quarter 2016 results on Tuesday, January 24, registering profit growth at the combined segment level and an improved cash position. Highlights: • Net loss of $125 million as a result of costs to streamline portfolio • Excluding special items, adjusted net income of $26 million, or $0.14 per share • EBITDA excluding special items of $335 million, up 18 per cent sequentially on rising alumina pricing • Revenue of $2.5 billion, up 9 per cent sequentially, reflecting higher volume in the Company’s rolled products business, and higher alumina pricing • $853 million cash balance and $1.4 billion of debt as of December 31, 2016 “Alcoa’s first reporting period as a new, standalone, publicly-traded...
LME aluminium price remained unchanged yet firm at US$1,870 per tonne on Tuesday on speculations that aluminium producers in major China markets would cut output to cope with increasing air pollution. Shanghai Metals Market went on to explain that rising production cost, tax burden, entry of low-cost capacities and exit of domestic high-cost producers, and supply surplus of aluminium along with proliferating aplications were the factors responsible for the rumoured production cut. However, according to today's SMM morning forecast, LME aluminium will stay firm at US$1,850-1,890 per tonne on Wednesday. As on January 24, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1,869 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,870 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,867 per tonne, 3M...
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Emirates Global Aluminium (“EGA”), has filed four new patents that increase productivity and operating efficiencies. The patent applications result from EGA’s technology development programme, which has focused on continual improvement for the past 25 years. EGA’s latest reduction technology, DX+ Ultra, has more than double the pot productivity of the company’s original D18 technology. Last year EGA licensed DX+ Ultra to Aluminium Bahrain for Alba’s potline 6 expansion, making EGA the first UAE industrial company to license its own large scale industrial technology internationally. The four recent patent applications target improvements in the electrolytic Hall-Héroult process, used to produce metallic aluminium from aluminium oxide, and are detailed below. Bi-metallic insert in the...
Rio Tinto has reached a binding agreement for the sale of its wholly-owned Australian subsidiary Coal & Allied Industries Limited to Yancoal Australia Limited for up to $2.45 billion comprising: • An initial $1.95 billion cash payment, payable at completion; and • $500 million in aggregate deferred cash payments, payable as annual instalments of $100 million over five years following completion. Prior to 24 February 2017, Yancoal Australia is entitled to elect an alternative purchase price structure of a single cash payment at completion of $2.35 billion. After the sale is completed, Rio Tinto will also be entitled to potential royalties. Rio Tinto chief executive J-S Jacques said “This sale delivers outstanding value for our shareholders and is consistent with our strategy of reshaping...
LME aluminium is continuing its rise. The contract having risen 1.68 per cent from the previous day's closing of US$1,839 per tonne, ended at US$1,870 per tonne after Monday's night trading. Shanghai Metals Market forecast says LME aluminium may meet some resistance and hover at US$1,830-1,840 per tonne on Tuesday, January 24. As on January 23, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1,868 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,870 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,861 per tonne, 3M seller price is US$1,863 per tonne, Dec1 buyer price is US$1,885 per tonne, and Dec1 seller price is US$1,890 per tonne. The current LME official Opening Stock of aluminium is estimated at 2298625 tonnes, total Live Warrants is 1628600 tonnes, and Cancelled Warrant is 660675 tonnes....
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), the Bahrain-based international aluminium smelter, was the proud winner of the 2017 Occupational Excellence Achievement Award and the 2017 Significant Improvement Award by the National Safety Council (NSC) – USA. These wins endorse the Company’s long-standing commitment to Safety as well as its efforts in creating a safe working environment for its employees and contractors alike. The NSC Occupational Excellence Achievement Award is granted to organisations that meet strict criterions based on the results in their safety performance in accordance with the OSHA requirements in the USA. Commenting on winning this accolade, the Chief Executive Officer Tim Murray, said: “Alba's track record for promoting good health and Safety at the workplace has been truly...
Herbert smith Freehills and Allens, the noted international law firms, have suggested AGL on the power deal that the company signed on recently. Silverton Wind Farm and the aluminium smelter in Victoria are the two deals that these law firms have suggested on. HSF suggested AGL on the 200MW Silverton Wind Farm project that the company signed a few days back on its delivery, planning and land while Allens suggested on its sale and project financing of the wind farm venture worth $450 million. The HSF also suggested AGL on a new four-year electricity supply agreement to the Portland Smelter Joint Venture in Portland, Victoria. Alcoa of Australia, Marubeni Aluminium Australia and CITIC Nominees jointly operate the aluminium smelter. The law firm said that the parties are under pressure to...
LME aluminium kept logging higher till the end of last week as dollar index was at its low. The contract closed at US$1,839 per tonne after Friday's night trading, edging higher by 0.32 per cent from the previous day. Shanghai Metals Market forecast says LME aluminium will keep firm and scale at US$1,830-1,870 per tonne range on Monday, January 23. As on January 20, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1,838.5 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,839 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,832 per tonne, 3M seller price is US$1,833 per tonne, Dec1 buyer price is US$1,860 per tonne, and Dec1 seller price is US$1,865 per tonne. The current LME official Opening Stock of aluminium is estimated at 2300375 tonnes, total Live Warrants is 1654875 tonnes, and Cancelled...
The Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), owned by the government of Ghana, will be resurrected by the government in order to attain ideal capacity. In recent years, the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) has faced challenges in energy supply and huge debts. Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, Senior Minister Designate said that the government will implement measures to restore production capacity at the VALCO. He said the country needs VALCO because “we need to push the aluminium integrated project concept.” He told the Appointments Committee on Friday, VALCO’s problem is availability of power”, adding that Ghana has “a lot of bauxite and we must go back to integrate it by converting bauxite to alumina to enable VALCO use it. He further stated, "It is an integration the government has mentioned in the manifesto...
The Roundtable Conference on Aluminium and New Materials: The Investment in Technology held yesterday at ITC Sonar Bangla Hotel, Kolkata, West Bengal, was a resounding success. Held as a part of the Bengal Global Business Summit 2017 , the event saw AlCircle joining in as an esteemed co-organizer along with leading Italian industrial bodies Metef, VeronaFiere and ArtValley. The LIVE-streaming of the event on AlCircle Facebook page generated an overwhelming response. A large number of stakeholders from within the industry logged in to listen to the experts LIVE, and participated virtually by commenting, ‘liking’, and sharing the event within their circles. Here’s your chance to catch up with all the discussions if you have missed out on the Live-streaming: The discussion opened with Mr....
According to the data published by the World Bureau of Metal Statistics (WBMS) in their Metals Balances Report for the first eleven months of 2016, the global primary aluminium market recorded marginal deficit during January-November 2016. There was a deficit of 970,000 tonnes compared to the full-year deficit of 551,000 tonnes in 2015. Primary aluminium production dropped by 221,000 tonnes during the period under review and the total stock of metal reported shrunk by 27,000 tonnes in November 2016. The total stock of aluminium at the end of the first eleven months of 2016 stood at 2,644 kt against the corresponding previous year’s stock of 3,787 kt. The combined aluminium stock held in London, Shanghai, USA and Tokyo exchanges totalled 2,242.5 kt at the end of November 2016, down by 988...
AlCircle, the trusted information and business portal for the global aluminium industry, is going to co-host a roundtable conference on Aluminium and New Materials: The Investment in Technology today, January 20, at 4 p.m. at ITC Sonar Bangla Hotel in Kolkata, West Bengal. Leading Italian industrial bodies namely, Metef, Verona Fiere, and Art Valley are co-organizing the event. Aluminium has made an impactful foray into a large number of industries over the last one decade. From aerospace and automotive engineering to electricals, building and construction, packaging and consumer durables, it is being used in a wide variety of applications today to address lightweighting and sustainability issues. As the world’s emerging economies are increasingly realigning their focus on sustainable...
Last week the US filed a World Trade Organization (WTO) case on Chinese aluminium subsidies. European Aluminium through a press release has confirmed that as firm proponents of free and fair trade, the association will closely follow the case as it develops and expects the European Commission to do the same. The US complaint filed at the WTO against Chinese subsidies alleges that cheap state-directed loans and subsidised energy enable Chinese companies to sell primary aluminium at artificially low prices. The case is a step towards addressing imbalanced market conditions explaining global aluminium overcapacity. Today Chinese overcapacity in primary aluminium is five times the size of EU production. “We have been closely monitoring the developments in the WTO case,” stated Gerd Götz,...
Alcoa announced on Friday morning that its Portland aluminium smelter will resume production of the lost capacity after the federal and Victorian governments offered rescue packages for the smelter worth A$30 million ($23 million) and promises to keep the smelter open till 2021. The company also secured electricity supply agreement with the energy company AGL for the Portland smelter. Alcoa said the smelter will return to 85 per cent capacity that it was functioning at before December 2016. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the smelter's workers, "This is our commitment to ensure that you can get back on your feet and get going again, creating great export dollars and defending 700 jobs here and over 2,000 in the region." The four-year electricity supply deal with AGL will...
It's a near trade-war situation, when the President-elect of the world's most powerful economy tells his people that the currency value of the country is way "too strong" to compete with the Asian power called China. Just one more day to go, and then Donald Trump takes charge of the White House in the United States of America - before that, he calls out to China and its weakening currency, saying that for the U.S. companies to stand upright in the face of Chinese competition, the U.S. dollar value has to come down. His words send the U.S. dollar index down by one per cent to the lowest level in last one month, thereby lifting LME aluminium prices up by 1.78 per cent from Wednesday to US$1,832 per tonne after Thursday's night trading. According to Shanghai Metals Market forecast, the...
Rio Tinto today announced that the company will slash aluminium production worth more than $110 million and 30 jobs due to high power prices in the state at its Boyne aluminium smelter. The company will reduce up to 45,000 tonnes of aluminium production in 2017. Rio Tinto’s decision comes after Alcoa’s Portland smelter in Victoria struck a deal for subsidised power and that the Australian Energy Regulator conducts a report into spikes in Queensland’s wholesale power price. Commenting on the move Queensland’s state owned power supplier, Stanwell said it was Rio only who was to blame for such production downsizing. Richard Van Breda, Chief Executive of Stanwell said, “If Boyne had accepted one of the many offers presented to it, not only would it have avoided the current volatility in spot...
Italy is the world’s largest consumer of aluminium after USA, Japan, People’s Republic of China and Germany. The aluminium market is concentrated almost exclusively in the north of the country. The large part of aluminium is used by extrusion plants and foundries to supply to the automobile industry. In addition to extrusion, Italy is also a leader in metal casting. Together with Germany and France, Italy is one of the largest producers of foundry products. Major carmakers like Ducati in Modena, Alfa Romeo in Milan and Fiat in Turin drive the demand for aluminium extruded products and foundry products in Italy. Italy’s largest shipbuilding company, Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., is also based in the northern region and account for significant aluminium consumption. Italy...
