Rusal, a leading global aluminium producer, has announced operating results for the fourth quarter of 2020 and full-year ending on December 31, revealing that its bauxite production decreased in Q4 by 7.6 per cent Q-o-Q to stand at 3.539 million tonnes. In Q3, bauxite output was at 3.829 million tonnes.
The full-year bauxite production for 2020 totalled 14.838 million tonnes, down by 7.5 per cent from 16.047 million tonnes in the previous year.
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The decline in bauxite production in Q4 2020 was mainly because of the decrease in shipment volume at the Timan refinery in December due to unfavourable weather conditions. The whole year production stood down attributing to the suspension of business operations in Guyana, as announced at the beginning of February 2020.
Bauxite third party sales grew by 0.1 per cent Q-o-Q from 21,000 tonnes in Q3 2020 to 22,000 tonnes in Q4 2020. However, in the entire year, sales fell by 30,000 tonnes or 20.3 per cent Y-o-Y from 148,000 tonnes to 118,000 tonnes.
Rusal’s alumina production, on the other hand, increased 6.1 per cent from 2.018 million tonnes in Q3 2020 to 2.142 million tonnes in Q4 2020, of which the company’s Russian operations accounted for 36 per cent.
Alumina output in the entire year also stood higher by 4.1 per cent from 7.858 million tonnes in 2019 to 8.182 million tonnes in 2020, attributing to the increased production of the ore by 19.3 per cent Y-o-Y at the Friguia bauxite and alumina complex, as a result of the gradual ramp-up of production.
Rusal’s external bauxite purchase decreased 15.7 per cent Q-o-Q from 1.454 million tonnes to 1.226 million tonnes in Q4. For the whole year also, the purchase stood down from 6.150 million tonnes in 2019 to 4.847 million tonnes.
External purchase of alumina, on the other hand, increased in Q4 2020 from 169,000 tonnes in Q3 to 174,000 tonnes. However, in the whole year, it declined by 46.60 per cent from 1.276 million tonnes to 682,000 tonnes.
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