As the global aluminium supply chain continues to swing between shifts and crunches, how has Europe fared on the production front in the 2026 year-to-date calendar? Substantially well, going by the output figures. Between January and September 2026, the European continent, including Russia, has produced a total of 5.56 million tonnes of primary aluminium, building a significant year-on-year growth chart. The nine-month growth chart Set against the same period of 2025, the first nine months of 2026 show a clear lift in output. From January to September 2026, Europe, including Russia, produced 5.56 million tonnes of primary aluminium, raising the annual growth rate by 5.69 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) over the 5.26 million tonnes produced in 2025. Explore the production, demand and...
The proposed $4 billion Oklahoma Primary Aluminum (OPA) smelter, a joint venture between Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and Century Aluminum, is targeting civil works in the second quarter of 2027, with first hot metal expected between mid- and late 2030. Realization of the 750,000-metric-ton project would render it the first new US primary aluminum smelter in nearly 50 years. However, local restrictions, environmental permitting and ongoing legal hurdles clouded its path towards maintaining the construction timeline. A local moratorium and an April 7 ballot sit on the same calendar. 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 ” A...
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The Middle East aluminium industry has witnessed unprecedented growth, transforming the region into a powerhouse of production, innovation, and sustainability. As the global landscape shifts towards decarbonisation, efficiency, and value-added manufacturing, industry leaders are seeking insights that drive strategic decisions. To capture these dynamics, AL Circle proudly presents its 30th e-Magazine, ‘ Aluminium Middle East: Focus 2025’ , —a definitive resource for industry professionals navigating the evolving aluminium ecosystem. A deep dive into the region's aluminium industry The Middle East is not just a producer of primary aluminium; it is a key player in shaping the global supply chain, emphasising sustainability, downstream integration, and technological advancements. ‘ Aluminium...
The US steel and aluminium tariff has come into effect from March 12, and in response to it, the European Commission has launched immediate countermeasures on US imports into the European Union (EU). In a decisive retaliation against the US steel and aluminium tariffs, the European Commission has unveiled a package of countermeasures targeting US imports worth up to EUR 26 billion. The move signals a firm stance: if the US chooses to escalate the trade conflict, the EU will respond with equal force. Persuasion strategy tastes the dust President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs, a steep 25 per cent on industrial steel and aluminium imports — took effect on March 12, impacting an estimated USD 28 billion in EU exports. This isn’t entirely unexpected. Trump has long expressed his scepticism of...
A couple of days after implementing the 25 per cent tariff on all aluminium and steel imports, US President Donald Trump exempted neighbouring nations Canada and Mexico from tariffs, but only for commodities included in the trade agreement of 2019 — the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). However, the tariff payments made between March 4 and March 6 — when importers had already paid for goods in transit — will not be refunded, according to White House officials. Image source: https://mr.usembassy.gov/ In a fresh twist, mere hours after threatening to end Canada's exemption, the US has now imposed a staggering 50 per cent tariff just as Canada attempted to negotiate by leveraging energy supply tariffs from them to the US. Official statements regarding the exemption are...
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the world’s largest producer of premium aluminium, revealed its financial and operational results for 2024, showcasing increased revenue and Adjusted EBITDA, driven by higher alumina and hot metal production, cost optimisation, and increased share of value-added product sales. A notable rise in low-carbon CelestiAL aluminium production and secondary metal output was another key highlight in the results. Financial and operational results EGA reported that its annual revenue increased by 1.69 per cent in 2024, amounting to AED 30 billion ($8.2 billion) versus AED 29.5 billion ($8.0 billion) in 2023. The company’s Adjusted EBITDA was AED 9.2 billion ($2.5 billion), reflecting a surge of 19.48 per cent from AED 7.7 billion ($2.1 billion), attributed to higher...
The aluminium trade scammer involved in the metal inventory fraudulence in China that havocked more than USD 1 billion in losses nationwide businesses has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a judicial court in the eastern province of Zhejiang. Image for representational purposes only Chen Xi, who managed quite a few trading houses and warehousing firms, was jailed in June 2022 over his involvement in a high-profile over-pledging ruse when borrowers discovered that the metal they had invested in was nothing but thin air. As mentioned by Bloomberg, the court decree quoted him as the architect and directed Xi’s personal possessions to be seized by the state. This tops the string of high-profile metal fraud controversies that shocked the industry in the past years. Chen’s stance was about...
US President Donald Trump is keeping the global aluminium market on edge for sure with his eccentric decisions on tariffs. For the first time in history, a single day saw both the announcement and the reversal of tariffs. On Tuesday, March 11, the President announced his plan to double tariffs on Canada to 50 per cent, with immediate effect—only to retract his decision moments later. Why at all did Mr President decide to raise tariffs, escalating the ongoing trade tensions with his neighbouring country, and then what led him to backtrack so quickly? Donald Trump's decision to double aluminium tariffs on Canada followed Ontario's announcement to place a 25 per cent surcharge on electricity, a move that could serve as a hurtful retaliatory measure potentially impacting three big US states:...
Good news is on the horizon for China's domestic aluminium smelters, as they are poised to see higher profits due to two contrasting sequences – 1) a drop in alumina prices and 2) an increase in primary aluminium prices driven by increased demand in the solar energy and automobile sectors. According to the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) survey, China's domestic alumina prices have decreased to RMB 3,357 per tonne (USD 462.36 per tonne) as of March 11 from a record high of RMB 5,770 per tonne (USD795 per tonne) in 2024. Image - Chinalco smelter Going forward, China's average alumina price in the spot market is likely to reach even below RMB 3,000 per tonne, the weakest since the end of 2023, as projected by Zhang Meng, an analyst with AZ China Ltd. This shift in Chinese aluminium raw...
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the world’s largest producer of premium aluminium, depends on uninterrupted plant operations to maintain around-the-clock metal production. To enhance operational efficiency and safeguard continuous performance, EGA implemented a hybrid cloud strategy powered by Azure Arc. Azure, a Microsoft product acts as a bridge, extending the Azure platform to enable seamless application and service development across data centres, edge locations, and multi-cloud environments. It empowers to build cloud-native solutions with a unified approach to development, operations, and security, ensuring consistency wherever your workloads run. As per the report published by Microsoft, by leveraging a hybrid infrastructure managed by Azure Arc, EGA seamlessly integrated its...
Zeolites, crystalline materials essential to the petrochemical industry, play a crucial role as catalysts in producing fine chemicals. Aluminium atoms within the zeolite framework create active sites that drive these catalytic reactions. Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have pinpointed the precise location of aluminium atoms in the zeolite structure. This breakthrough could enable the design of more efficient and durable catalysts. This advancement has the potential to: enhance petrochemical production, improve renewable energy storage, aid in air pollution control, expanding the applications of zeolites across various industries The team's findings have been published in the journal Science. The research was led by : Shik Chi Edman Tsang (Chair Professor of...
A leading global aluminium manufacturing giant has recently sought a premium of USD 260 per tonne from Japanese buyers for April-June (Q2) primary metal shipments, which is a notable 14 per cent increase from the current quarter (Q1, 2025). This development is nothing but a ripple effect of the persistent volatility in the primary metals market, a simultaneous event along with geopolitical tensions and production constraints continuing to reshape global supply chains. Image Source: Wikipedia Japan, a major importer of aluminium in Asia, plays a pivotal role in regional price formation. The premiums for primary metal shipments are determined quarterly over the London Metal Exchange cash price (CMAL0), a benchmark that reflects prevailing market conditions. Japanese buyers had agreed to a...
China's aluminium industry remains the world's largest, driven by high production capacity and growing downstream demand. However, rising inventories, fluctuating raw material costs, and cautious buyer sentiment are shaping market dynamics. Despite challenges, facility expansions and policy shifts continue influencing the sector's long-term trajectory. Aluminium market analysis The global aluminium market has witnessed notable price movements over the past week. The London Metal Exchange (LME) average aluminium price saw a slight increase of 0.64 per cent, reaching USD$ 2,665 per tonne. Conversely, the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) aluminium price declined by 0.31 per cent, settling at RMB 20,656 per tonne (USD 2,880 per tonne). Spot market prices also trended downward due to rising...
According to the US Geological Survey, the United States' primary aluminium production experienced a monthly fall of 2,000 tonnes or 3.51 per cent, following a 4 per cent rebound in the previous month. On an annual calculation, the output marked a sharper decline of 9.8 per cent in November, surpassing the year-on-year fall recorded in October 2024. Data revealed the United States' domestic production of primary aluminium in November 2024 was 55,000 tonnes compared to 57,000 tonnes in October and 61,000 tonnes in November 2023. Thus, the United States cumulative output of primary metal from January to November 2024 amounted to 618,000 tonnes, sharply down by 21.57 per cent from 749,000 tonnes during the corresponding period of the previous year. However, the daily average output in...
From the early-mid month of February 2025, Australia has been actively seeking an exemption from the United States' 25 per cent tariffs on aluminium and steel, claiming the country's contribution to the US domestic market trade surplus as a key justification for securing an exemption. During this process, optimism briefly flickered in the Australian market when US President Donald Trump hinted at a possible reprieve, describing Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as "a very fine man." The hope was further fuelled following a positive phone call between Albanese and Trump on February 11, where they discussed the Aukus defence pact, critical minerals, and mutual foreign investments. Albanese said after the call, "Our aluminium is a critical input for manufacturing in the United...
This week has been highly eventful for the upstream aluminium industry, especially the primary aluminium sector, which has dominated the headlines. The industry is going through a rough time with news of sanctions and tariffs hitting the market. To begin with, the voice of the entire aluminium value chain in Europe (European Aluminium) welcomed the inclusion of primary aluminium in the EU's 16th sanctions package against Russia. The new sanctions cover key aluminium product categories, such as ingots, slabs, and billets, under the trade code HS 7601. On the other hand, Alcoa, a leading global aluminium producer, recently raised concerns that the proposed 25 per cent tariffs could result in over 100,000 job losses. These developments highlight the immense challenges the aluminium industry...
There is a projection looming that Vedanta’s share price will jump to a target price of INR 600 (US$6.87) following the group’s demerger plan to be executed by the first quarter of FY2025-26. This estimation will most likely materialise, if not by the end of this year, then within the next two. The projection of INR 600 per unit was initially made by a renowned India-based financial firm , Emkay Global, positioning Vedanta as a favourable investment option for those seeking medium-term returns based on expected balanced growth to be delivered by Vedanta Limited, Vedanta Aluminium, and Vedanta Power. Aligning with this outlook, Money Mint Idea, an IPO and stock market research platform, has also provided a medium-term forecast for Vedanta’s share price, projecting its trajectory up until...
Although aluminium from South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium in KwaZulu-Natal carries the value-dampening label of ‘high-carbon,’ South32, a globally diversified mining and metals company, gains a value boost from the ‘low-carbon’ premium status of its other two operations, Brazil Aluminium and Mozal Aluminium. Hillside Aluminium & its decarbonisation efforts Hillside Aluminium is labelled carbon-intensive due to its reliance on coal-fired electricity. However, there’s promising news that intensive efforts are underway to explore competitive decarbonisation solutions for Hillside, the largest aluminium smelter in the southern hemisphere and a key supplier of primary aluminium to South Africa’s value-adding secondary producers. In the six months to December, South32’s operational greenhouse...
Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd, a Malaysia-based largest aluminium smelter in Southeast Asia, has announced its fourth-quarter and full-year results of 2024, reporting stupendous financial gains supported by increased aluminium prices on LME and strong global demand. Figures and numbers revealed by Press Metal indicate a 38.55 per cent jump in net profit, reaching RM445.27 million at the end of the December quarter from RM321.39 million a year ago. For the entire year, the figure hit RM1.76 billion compared to RM1.22 billion in 2023. The company's profit before tax in Q4 was $500.4 million, reflecting an increase of 25 per cent from $400.2 million in Q3 2023. Representing continued hikes, the full-year's profit before tax reached $2.3 billion versus $1.65 billion. Press Metal managed...
The need for clean energy sources that will not release harmful greenhouse gases can be touted as one of the most important priorities. Hydrogen may seem like an obvious clean energy solution, but it comes with significant challenges — particularly its high combustion temperature, ranging from 600 to 1500 degrees Celsius. Researchers at the University of Alberta Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a new material for coatings, showing great potential for high-temperature applications like hydrogen combustion engines. This innovative coating is crafted from a superalloy containing metals such as aluminium and nickel. Dubbed AlCrTiVNi5, the new material boasts exceptional thermomechanical properties — offering high stability, low thermal expansion, fracture resistance,...
