Aluminium prices came under renewed pressure on October 1 as expectations of improving supply, stronger Chinese exports and a firmer USD weighed on the market. Aluminium settled 0.73 per cent lower at INR 340.65, while expectations of tighter US monetary policy added to the broader macroeconomic pressure. The decline comes as several aluminium smelters prepare to restart previously idled capacity, while others move ahead with expansion plans. These developments are raising expectations that global aluminium availability could improve in the coming months. China exports add to supply pressure China is emerging as another important factor for the aluminium market. Rising exports are partly offsetting supply disruptions in the Gulf, with August aluminium exports increasing 17.2 per cent...
According to SMM statistics, on September 30, aluminium billet inventory in major consuming regions in China stood at 149,500 tonnes, up 500 tonnes WoW from last Thursday and down 5,000 tonnes from this Monday, with inventory consolidating at highs and basically flat overall. On a year-over-year basis, inventory was about 35,000 tonnes higher than the same period in 2025 and about 41,000 tonnes higher than the same period in 2024, with total inventory still at the highest level for the same period in the past four years. From the perspective of warehouse withdrawals, aluminium billet withdrawals from September 21 to September 28 totalled 44,800 tonnes, holding near 45,000 tonnes for two consecutive weeks. By region, Foshan inventory stood at 69,500 tonnes, down 3,000 tonnes from last...
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Aluminum prices in China’s spot market will take a hit next week as demand is unlikely to turn around amid strong pessimism, Shanghai Metals Market foresees. Spot aluminum should trade at discounts of 70-120 yuan per tonne over SHFE front-month contract. Selling pressure at highs will keep SHFE 1509 aluminum contract in check within 12,650-12,800 yuan per tonne. The rise in LME aluminum this past week was accompanies with an increase in positions, a sign of improved market sentiment. As such, LME aluminum might rise to challenge resistance at the 2-day moving average and move between $1,700-1,740 per tonne.
Outotec to deliver anode rodshop technology to China Xinfa Group's aluminum smelter in China. Outotec has received an order for rodshop technology from Chiping Xinyuan Aluminium Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of China Xinfa Group, a leading aluminum producer in China, for their new aluminum smelter in Shandong province. The order value exceeds EUR 12 million and it has been booked in Outotec's 2015 second quarter order intake. Outotec's delivery includes process engineering and proprietary process equipment as well as services for the commissioning and operational support for a new anode rodding shop, which is part of the new aluminum smelter. The new smelter is expected to produce annually one million tonnes aluminum. The deliveries will take place in 2016 and include both local and offshore...
The Centre is ready to put up eight more coal blocks for auction after it concludes the third bidding round in August, said Coal Secretary Anil Swarup. Addressing a conference on Metals and Minerals organised by the Indian Chambers of Commerce here on Wednesday, Swarup said, “We have identified eight more blocks which would be offered after the third round of auctions. In a year’s time we believe that coal availability will cease to be problem.” In the third round of auctions, which is expected to be complete by August 17, on offer are 10 blocks for the unregulated sectors of steel, cement and captive power plants. Swarup added that he expects fewer bids from aluminium companies, which will leave more coal for the steel sector. “Most of the aluminium plants have already bid and won in the...
A late night compromise on the nation's renewable energy target had the businesses in Australia celebrating the return of certainty to energy policy and environmentalists worrying that the policy has been watered down too far. The deal between the Coalition, Labor and the crossbenchers will cut the RET to 33,000 gigawatt hours, down from 41,000, after government MPs argued for deeper cuts over 12 months ago. But conditions in the deal include the burning of wood waste, a "windfarm commissioner" to oversee wind power and exemptions for major energy users. Australian Conservation Foundation's Victoria McKenzie-McHarg said winners in the deal were coal-fired power stations and companies wanting to "generate electricity by burning native forest". However, Australian Chamber of Commerce and...
International Aluminium Institute (IAI) that measures the production trend in the world has come out with its latest numbers. IAI has mentioned that the trend of Aluminium production is again on higher side. World Aluminium markets that showed record production numbers in the month of May 2015 after a slight decline seen in April 2015. Data estimates from International Aluminium Institute (IAI) showed that the total primary Aluminium production reached 4.89 million tonnes in the month of May 2015 from 4.373 million tonnes in the month of March 2014. This marks an increase of 11.8% during the period of one year. The production increased 3.16% on a monthly basis in April 2015. The production of Aluminium in April 2015 was 4.743 million tonnes. China remained the major contributor to the...
Shanghai Metals Market reports that the 15% cut on freight rate for shipping aluminum ingot out of Xinjiang effective from June 12, will cut down costs for local smelters in the midst of low aluminium price. SMM’s research team analyses that the discounted rate will save 75 yuan on per ton of aluminium on containerized shipments and 96.3 yuan per ton on bulk rail shipments. Due to reach coal resources in Xinjiang and low cost availability of the same, Aluminum smelters in Xinjiang enjoy low production costs compared to other aluminium producing provinces of China. However, SMM is of the opinion that this 15% cut on freight rate for shipping aluminum ingot out of Xinjiang is not going to trigger a massive outflow of aluminium from the province. SMM’s conclusion is based largely on two...
Allocating coal blocks for the aluminium industry is the key to increase the indigenous production of the metal, said the National Aluminium Company (NALCO), a public sector unit. The price of aluminium is controlled by the London Metal Exchange. In India, the production of aluminium is solely dependent on coal energy. Therefore, procurement of coal is a major challenge for the industry. “Aluminium Industry, being a power intensive industry, requires a lot of power. Around 40% of the production cost of aluminium is power. Unless we get coal in a preferential way, we cannot compete with IPPs (Independent Power Producers). They are not treating this CPP (Captive Power Plants) on a different footing. So, it is not possible for us to beat them (IPPs) and get coal at aggressive prices and...
China's primary aluminium imports declined by 71.98% from a year earlier to 6,738 tons in May, latest data from China's customs authority showed. Primary aluminium imports from January to May period this year totalled 46,723 tons, down 78.01% year-on-year. Exports of primary aluminium form China during the first 5 months of 2015 was around 19,531 tons, declined 64.32% from a year ago. In May alone, the country exported 618 tons, down 96.9% compared with the same month of last year.
Alcoa today announced that Michael Parker will become President Alcoa Refining and Australia Region effective 25 September. He succeeds Alan Cransberg who will retire from Alcoa after 35 years of distinguished service. Parker will be responsible for Alcoa's refineries across the globe, including commercial and operational activities, as well as environment, health and safety and the Refining Centre of Excellence. Alcoa has refineries in Australia, Brazil, Spain, Suriname and the United States (US). Parker will also represent Alcoa in Australia to facilitate growth opportunities and coordinate government affairs, human resources, communications and associations. "Michael’s exemplary leadership capabilities and significant commercial expertise will help him continue to drive the success of...
National capital New Delhi will host the 4th India Minerals and Metals Forum 2015 - Ferrous and Non Ferrous" on Wednesday. The event to be held at Hotel Le Meridien, will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar. With the Indian economy expected to grow by over seven percent, sectors such as infrastructure and automobiles will receive a renewed thrust, which would further generate demand for power and steel in the country. This is expected to provide a major boost to the demand of minerals and metals. Minerals like manganese, lead, copper and alumina are also expected to witness double digit growth in the years ahead. There is significant scope for new mining capacities in iron ore, bauxite, and coal. India has an advantage in the cost of production and in...
State-owned aluminium maker PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) will spend around US$750 million on a steam-fueled power plant, which would double its production capacity, starting from mid-next year in anticipation of higher energy demand. Inalum president director Winardi Sunoto said Friday that the firm expected to cover 35 percent of the 600-megawatt power plant project from internal cash. It was now seeking to generate the rest from external sources. “The construction of the power plant will take up to 40 months, which is very long compared to a smelter or seaport, so it is the priority,” he told reporters after a meeting with Industry Minister MS Hidayat. The new power plant project is part of $1.9 billion that Inalum will spend on a wide array of development projects over the...
The aluminium market is unlikely to see enough producer cutbacks to reduce oversupply in coming months as currency benefits and cheaper inputs have allowed most smelters to stay out of the red. That means the price of the lightweight metal used in transport and packaging may be drawn still lower towards levels that would force more supply to be shut down, analysts and industry sources said. Closures or lower output are needed to slash a surplus on global markets mainly due to surging output and exports from top producer China. Consultancy CRU has increased its forecast of a global aluminium surplus for 2015 to 963,000 tonnes. "Cutbacks are going to be difficult. Input costs have come down, so margins at producers may in fact have stayed OK even though prices have come down," said Robin...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), one of the leading employers in Bahrain, announced the appointment of S. Hussain S. Fadhel as the Manager of Reduction Lines 1-3 and Mustafa A. Rahman as the Manager for Carbon 3. Mustafa A. Rahman joined Alba in 2001 as a Laboratory Analyst and consequently worked in many departments within the company. In 2003, Mustafa was made Shift Supervisor, Reduction Line 4 and in 2012, was promoted to Technical Superintendent. Mustafa has a BSC in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bahrain as well as an MBA from the University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom. S. Hussain S. Fadhel started his career in Alba as a Senior Operator in 1996. He was promoted to Supervisor in 2003 and later made Superintendent in 2010 followed by Senior Superintendent in 2014. S....
The Centre has so far transferred the environment clearance (EC) of 19 coal blocks out of approved 29 mines from the earlier allottees to the new successful bidders including JSW Steel , GMR Chhattisgarh Energy, Jaypee Cement and Ambuja Cements among others. In a bid to expedite operations from the recently allocated coal mines, the Environment Ministry had amended EC norms after a request made by the Coal Ministry to facilitate transfer of ECs to successful coal bidders. "We have so far transferred the ECs of 19 coal blocks to new allottees. We have already issued the transferred letters," a senior Environment Ministry official told agency. The 19 coal blocks are located in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha. These blocks have a combined coal...
Russian aluminium producer Rusal has filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over a ruling of Ukrainian Supreme Court that ordered to nationalize Zaporozhye Aluminum Complex, RIA Novosti reported on on Monday, citing the company’s CEO Vladislav Soloviev. “We still believe we’re right. We obtained this asset from the Rusal merger. Renova purchased it in an honest deal. We’ll try to find a way to dispute this ruling in Ukraine, too,” Soloviev said. On June 10, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office announced that the controlling stake (68.01%) of the Zaporozhye Aluminum Complex, a former Rusal (Russia) asset, was transferred to Ukrainian national ownership. In March, the Ukrainian Supreme Court issued a ruling on this transaction. Earlier Rusal had announced...
August aluminum on the SHFE is expected to rebound to 12,600-12,750 yuan per tonne next week, Shanghai Metals Market foresees. The contract is in oversold territory, presaging a rally on the horizon, SMM’s research team said. LME aluminum might face correction following steep fall this past week, with prices expected between $ 1,680-1,730 per tonne next week. In China’s spot market, supply will be limited since suppliers that just completed delivery under term contracts will have few goods available for sale. Liquidity crunch at the month’s end means that trading is unlikely to pick up. Spot discounts of 40-90 yuan per tonne are expected over SHFE front-month contract.
The Aluminum Association, in cooperation with the Aluminum Association of Canada, reported primary aluminum production in North America (U.S. and Canada) was at an annual rate of 4,489,865 tonnes during May 2015, down 26,621 tpy (-0.6%) from the previous month's rate of 4,516,486 tonnes. The annual rate of production has decreased in two of the last three months. Compared to a year ago, the annual rate of production was 2.7 percent below the May 2014 rate of 4,613,188 tonnes. Through May 2015, actual production totaled 1,865,543 tonnes, 3.4 percent below the 2014 total of 1,931,070. Preliminary estimates indicate that aluminum demand in the United States and Canada (shipments by domestic producers plus imports) totaled an estimated 8,530 million pounds through April 2015, up 3.1 percent...
South32 faces the spectre of a significant earnings slump, as the young company ends its first month on the market in the midst of growing pains. The commodities that looked so promising six months ago now face almighty headwinds, prompting several analysts to warn that earnings will slide by more than 50 per cent if current economic settings persist during the next year. The company's first month on the ASX finished on Friday with the share price at the lowest level in its short history and 17 per cent lower than the highs reached during its first week on the market. Shareholders were warned about early selling of the stock by index funds in Britain, but Shaw Stockbroking analyst Peter O'Connor said that should not be a factor after five weeks. "Most of the index buying and selling is...
