Century Aluminum’s proposed USD 4 billion primary aluminum smelter in Inola, Oklahoma, is “moving forward on all fronts” as the company prepares for construction, despite local opposition and legal challenges, CEO Jesse Gary said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call. Developed jointly by Century Aluminum and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the project is designed to produce 750,000 tonnes of primary aluminum annually, potentially doubling U.S. primary aluminum production. The facility is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and add USD 1.5 billion to Oklahoma’s gross domestic product, according to company estimates. The partners had targeted construction to begin by the end of 2026. However, local restrictions and permitting challenges have affected the...
LME aluminium stocks declined by more than half during the first nine months of 2026, falling by 267,875 tonnes from 509,250 tonnes on January 2 to 241,375 tonnes on September 30 (52.6 per cent). The decline continued throughout the period, with average warehouse inventories falling each month. Compared with the same period in 2025, monthly average stocks were lower across all nine months, with the gap widening in the third quarter. Q1 LME aluminium stocks fall 18.2 per cent LME aluminium inventories continued to decline during Q1 2026. Month-end stocks fell from 495,725 tonnes in January to 465,550 tonnes in February, before dropping further to 416,775 tonnes in March. Monthly average inventories stood at 498,670 tonnes in January, 481,801 tonnes in February and 440,710 tonnes in March....
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Aluminum production cuts may increase as smelters face margin pressure amid falling demand, according to a report by Bank of America Merrill Lynch dated Jan. 16. Announcements of further large production reductions may lead to temporary rallies in prices, according to the report.
Record iron ore production is expected to boost Rio Tinto's profits for 2011 even though the mining giant signalled Tuesday that its aluminum operations lost money in the second half of last year. The Anglo-Australian miner said it produced a record 65 million tonnes of iron ore in the fourth quarter and 245 million tonnes for the year. Rio's share of the output was 51 million and 192 million tonnes respectively. Storms in Australia earlier in the year caused shipments to dip to 239 million tonnes. While aluminum production increased by one per cent last year, annual capacity was recently reduced by 462,000 tonnes because of a lockout that cut production by two-thirds in Alma, Que., and issues in Lynemouth, England and Shawinigan, Que. A circuit breaker failure at the Shawinigan smelter...
RIO Tinto continues to rack up quarterly production records at its flagship Australian iron ore operations but has declared it will log a second-half loss at its struggling aluminium unit. The billions of dollars Rio has been investing in expanding its iron ore mines, railways and ports in Western Australia's Pilbara region led to yesterday's announcement that its third straight quarterly production record just beat analysts' forecasts. While Rio's low-cost iron ore mines continue to rake in high margins at current prices, its aluminium smelters are a different story. The supply-heavy but demand-weak aluminium market is taking its toll on Rio, which confirmed it had cut 462,000 tonnes a year of annual production capacity. Rio downgraded October guidance of a break-even second half to a...
IN LITTLE more than six months 100 workers at Tomago Aluminium will be shown the door after falling aluminium prices and the rising Australia dollar led the company to restructure its operation. The smelter is a leading Port employer and the news marks an uncertain few months ahead for the company's 1070 employees and 250 contractors. But the company, which contributes about $500 million into the Hunter economy annually, plans to maintain production at 528,000 tonnes a year. "It's not about cutting product," a Tomago spokeswoman said. The restructure will take place over the next three months with the outcome on where the cuts will be made expected at the end of March. Job losses should come into play in the second half of this year. The restructure comes as the smelter has dealt with the...
Venezuelan state aluminum reducer Alcasa has asked the government for US$90.4mn to cover payroll expenses and the purchase of raw materials, a Sintralcasa union leader told BNamericas. "In addition to covering these payments, the money will make it possible to buy parts to put cells back into operation," the union leader said. Alcasa has capacity to produce 170,000t/y of aluminum from 396 reduction cells, but it currently only has 178 cells in operation. Under normal conditions, Alcasa's production lines should only have three or four cells out of service at a time for repairs or maintenance. Up to 2008, the company produced over 160,000t/y. "In 2010, it closed with 96,000t and in 2011 production fell to 69,000t," the union leader said. The Alcasa plant is located in the Matanzas...
Novelis Korea Limited has placed an order with Siemens VAI Metals Technologies to equip its new aluminum cold rolling mill with automation and drive systems. The plant is a tandem mill which will produce high quality flat strip for the beverage can industry in Yeongju in Korea. The value of the order lies in the double digit million euro range and the mill is scheduled to start production in 2013. Novelis is planning to construct a tandem mill to increase the capacity of the cold aluminum rolling plant in Yeongju, Korea. Siemens will supply all the electrical engineering and equipment, including the basic automation, the human machine interface equipment and the associated sensor systems. The technological control systems, with integrated gauge, strip tension and flatness control, are an...
Top world aluminium producer UC RUSAL, which has sought and won concessions from creditors as prices of the metal have fallen, can cope with further price declines, the company said on Wednesday. "As of today, even though it is difficult, RUSAL smelters can work with $1,900/tonne," the RUSAL press office said. Aluminium prices ended last year near 18-month lows on concerns about economic weakness and oversupply, prompting Alcoa Inc to announce the closure of higher-cost European smelters. RUSAL has ignored pressure to follow suit. Moscow-based RUSAL, which is responsible for around 10 percent of world primary aluminium output and operates 16 smelters producing 4.7 million tonnes of aluminium per year, maintains it is safely clear of the high-cost bracket. It has given no indication it...
Braden Manufacturing LLC has netted $10 million worth of contracts for an aluminum smelter facility in the Middle East, the Tulsa company's parent firm announced Tuesday. Irving, Texas-based Global Power Equipment Group Inc., owner of Braden Manufacturing, said the Tulsa factory will produce diverters and exhaust systems for Samsung and fuel circulation parts for other clients as part of a power plant expansion at the site. The aluminum smelter is in the United Arab Emirates city of Al-Taweelah, just south of Dubai. "This is an important project for Braden and we are excited to be involved," said Dean Glover, president of Global Power's products division. "Our product will support the phase 2 capacity expansion of the power plant at the Emirates Aluminum Smelter Complex, which is designed...
Aluminium yesterday traded with the positive node and settled 0.45% up at 110.5 tracking LME three-month aluminum gained USD 22.8/mt or 1.06% overnight as impact of euro zone downgrades faded and focus is put on today’s Chinese GDP data. American markets were closed on Monday in memory of Martin Luther King. Transactions for LME aluminum therefore were down almost by half. China’s 4Q GDP data is due to come out 10 A.M. Beijing time today and is followed by the New York Fed manufacturing index which may determine market directions. Investors are expected to be restrained before release of above data. No solid news came from overseas market overnight. As market gradually digested news that Standard & Poor’s cut credit rating of nine European countries, market sentiment gradually stabilized....
LME aluminum market overnight opened at USD 2,217/mt due to favorable debt auctions by Spain and positive economic data in the US. During the session, LME aluminum prices dropped to USD 2,190/mt, but later were supported by the news that Greek debt talks will resume. Finally, LME aluminum market closed at USD 2,213/mt, down USD 4.5/mt or 0.07%. LME aluminum inventories were down 1,375 mt to 5,005,150 mt. The US stocks advanced following positive economic data and rising earnings report at Goldman Sachs and other large companies, but European stocks showed weak performance. The European debt issues continue to dominate market sentiment. Meanwhile, high LME aluminum inventories will weigh on aluminum prices. On Thursday, LME aluminum prices are expected to move between USD 2,200-2,240/mt....
Industry experts say a tough economy means the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company won't likely reopen this spring. The aluminum industry's been hard hit by high electric prices and a lousy economy. Plant officials had hoped a deal for better power prices with Bonneville Power would help them reopen, but right now that doesn't look like it will happen. Folks had hoped CFAC would be able to reopen, and with it add a couple hundred jobs to the economy. "A lot of our younger people that had worked for the plant had gone to North Dakota, left their families here with the hopes that the aluminum plant would open.” said Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carol Pike, “And when they were talking 200 jobs, it's just a huge disappointment that that won't be happening soon." Some...
Venezuela's aluminum smelter CVG Alcasa has requested USD 90.4 million in financial assistance from the Executive Office to cover payroll expenses, the purchase of raw materials, spare parts and the reactivation of smelting cells. It has also submitted several proposals to the consideration of the Ministry of Industries to improve cash flow. Elio Sayago, the president of aluminum smelter Aluminios del Caroní S.A. (Alcasa), said that the first memorandum account includes the import of 5,000 tons per month of aluminum to feed the current inactive installed capacity for mineral processing. A total of 178 cells out of 396 smelting cells are currently operating in Alcasa. Its installed capacity is 170,000 tons, but it only produced 69,000 tons in 2011, 28% less than in 2010.
RAVENSWOOD - Hundreds of people lost their jobs when Century Aluminum shut down in Jackson County in 2009. Some retirees eventually lost their health benefits as well. But Monday some of those retirees said they are more hopeful than ever that the Ravenswood plant will eventually open again. They said they are also hoping that move would include reinstating their benefits. "Things are not where we want them yet," said retiree Gene Fowler. "But, they are looking better we think the company is wanting to start the plant up as soon as they can." The retirees have been camped out near Century Aluminum around the clock for a month now. They are hoping to send a message that they aren't giving up.
MONEY from a struggling state government scheme meant to attract new residents to regional areas should be redirected to support workers and businesses affected by job losses at Hunter aluminium smelters, the state opposition says. The Hydro-owned Kurri Kurri smelter and the Rio Tinto-owned Tomago smelter have announced plans to shed a combined 250 jobs, citing falling prices and a rising Australian dollar. Industrial maintenance company Thomas and Coffey, which employed about 70 people at Hydro Kurri, is tipped to decide this week whether to cut jobs. Weston Aluminium, which recycles materials from the Kurri Kurri smelter, is considering scaling back its operations. Weston’s Kurri Kurri plant manager Chris McClung said yesterday no immediate job cuts were expected, but Hydro’s long-term...
About one-third of the aluminum capacity in China is likely to lie idle in 2012, hitting a record high since 2009, due to the rising energy cost and falling prices of aluminum, according to media reports. China's aluminum output is estimated to reach nearly 20 million metric tonnes in 2012 and the aluminum capacity would not exceed 30 million tonnes by the end of 2012, said Luo Rongjin, an analyst with the BOCOM International. The country's aluminum output in November 2011 went down 8.3 per cent from the record high of 1.6 million tonnes in August 2011. Aluminum price decreased 19 per cent year on year in 2011, resulting in the falling profits of metal producers worldwide. In face of the gloomy global market and worsening operating environment, leading aluminum producers in the world have...
The weakening trend in aluminium, which lost nearly a fifth of its value in 2011, holds broader implications for Rio than BHP. Rio became the world's no. 1 supplier of the lightweight metal after buying Alcan in 2007. "Rio is staring down the barrel of a weakening market for aluminium," said a commodities analyst, who commented on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak about specific companies. Rio's aluminium production averaged 948,000 tonnes per quarter, or 2.9 million tonnes, over the previous three quarters, suggesting a reduced December quarter would leave full-year production under 2010's total of 3.8 million tonnes. Credit Suisse on Monday advised clients to expect fourth-quarter aluminium production of 919,000 tonnes. Last week Alcoa Inc, the largest U.S....
Japanese metal trading company, Mitsubishi Corporation Unimetals, currently forecasted primary aluminium price at London Metal Exchange would fluctuate in a range at USD 1,800 to USD 2,700 per tonne in CY2012. The company estimated LME aluminium price would maintain weak tone in the first six months when the investors are likely to depart from risky assets under European financial crisis. In the latter six months, LME aluminium price is expected to rebound along major countries' quantitative easing policies and emerging countries' economic growth. Mitsubishi Corporation Unimetals forecasts LME primary aluminium price at USD 1,800 to USD 2,400 for January to March and April to June, USD 1,900 to USD 2,600 for July to September and USD 1,900 to USD 2,700 for October to December. Smelting...
Aluminium prices fell in December as demand worries weighed, and while a handful of production cutback announcements have since lent the market a steadier tone, lacklustre demand is seen likely to limit moves higher near term. In early January, Alcoa Inc announced it was cutting its global smelting capacity by 12 percent. Although the figure included permanent closure of a substantial amount of already idled capacity, it helped sentiment, which was underpinned further by Norsk Hydro's announcement of plans to curb output at a struggling smelter in Australia. "The production cutbacks are supportive, but demand is not strong enough to warrant higher prices. I see the market trading sideways near term," said Fastmarkets analyst Will Adams. Barclays Capital said the estimated non-China...
