From black shale to smelter feed: CEM advances North American alumina supply chain
Canadian Energy Metals has demonstrated a process for producing smelter-grade alumina from Saskatchewan black shale and has started a prefeasibility study for its Thor Project. Canadian Energy Metals Corp. (CEM) has taken a step towards developing an alternative North American source of alumina...
LME aluminium price chart rises further to $3,325/t; stocks remain stable
The London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price chart continues to record an upward trend across the pricing and contract segments on the September 8 trading session, reporting gains over the September 7 close . Opening stocks remained stable, not reporting any further decline. The LME aluminium...
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Bauxite and alumina: Consolidation on the cards?
Bulk commodity producers have continued to struggle during the early stages of 2016, even with efforts made to cut costs, noted a recently published report on global Metallurgical Bauxite & Alumina market. With low bauxite and alumina prices expected to persist and demand from China remaining low,...
About 48% of Chinese aluminium smelters bullish over prices this week
About 48 per cent of the 42 Chinese aluminium smelters surveyed by SMM expect aluminium prices to rise this week. Those optimists see SHFE 1605 aluminium rising above RMB 11,500/mt and LME aluminium advancing above the 40-day moving average to USD 1,535-1,560/mt, citing positive factors. First,...
About 41% of Chinese aluminium smelters bullish over prices this week
About 41 per cent of the 34 Chinese aluminium smelters surveyed by SMM expect aluminium prices to rise this week. Those optimists see SHFE 1605 aluminium rising above RMB 11,500/mt and LME aluminium advancing above all moving averages, citing positive factors. First, China’s aluminium output fell...
Noranda plans temporary closure of Gramercy alumina plant in May
Alumina manufacturer Noranda is delaying plans to cut jobs and close its St. James Parish plant after completing an expansion it hopes will spur business. The company warned more than 100 workers could lose their jobs if the efforts fail. Noranda, based in Franklin, Texas, told state officials in...
China's bauxite hunger still not that big
China imported 5.3 million tonnes of bauxite in January 2016, up 104.91 per cent from a year ago, but down 25.4 per cent from prior month, revealed data released by the China Customs. Clearly, the country’s appetite for bauxite, the principal ore of aluminium, is still not that big. Following...
China alumina imports rise 31.76% YoY in Jan; no plans to restart idled capacity
China imported 507,500 mt of alumina in January 2016, up 31.76 per cent year-on-year, but down 6.72 per cent month-on-month, revealed data released by the China Customs. Alumina prices overseas were depressed during December 2015 and January 2016, boosting Chinese buyers’ interest in imported...
About 33% of Chinese aluminum smelters bullish over prices this week
About 33 per cent of the 33 Chinese aluminium smelters surveyed by SMM expect aluminium prices to rise this week. Those optimists see SHFE 1605 aluminium rising above RMB 11,500/mt and LME aluminium breaking through USD 1,600/mt, citing positive factors. First, the PBOC’s RRR cuts stimulated home...
Alumina Ltd upbeat about 2016 alumina prices despite volatility
Alumina Ltd, a 40 per cent business partner of Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (AWAC), is seemingly optimistic about alumina market scenario in 2016. The Australian mining company predicted, alumina prices will improve globally this year and says it can withstand any kind of volatility. Alumina...
Writedowns and restructuring costs weigh on Alumina
Alumina reported an annual loss in 2015 linked to restructuring costs and asset writedowns. The Australian-listed company said it recorded a net loss of $US332.6 million for last year, versus a loss of $US370.1m a year earlier. Alumina reported $US169.9m in so-called significant items, which...
China alumina prices firm as stock levels dip, metal prices rise
Chinese spot alumina prices firmed further Monday on the back of stronger domestic aluminum prices and reduced alumina reserves following refinery cutbacks in recent months. Platts ex-works Shanxi alumina spot price stood at Yuan 1,710/mt ($262/mt) full cash payment terms Monday, rising Yuan 15...
Alumina price to drop 18% in 2016
Gladstone alumina refineries QAL and Yarwun are expected to refine more product this year despite low prices and an already over-supplied market. According to the Resources and Energy Outlook report from Department of Industry, Innovation and Science too much alumina in the market in 2015 pushed...
Workers at QAL's Barney Point refinery axed as alumina price hits 25-year low
The critically low alumina price in the interational market has forced Queensland Alumina Limited to axe workers from its Barney Point refinery. The company did not disclose the number of people made redundant, but did say they were in 'support' roles. "As a result of significant pressure on the...
Asia Alumina: Australia up $1 on week at $209/Mt FOB
Platts Australian alumina daily assessment closed the week at $209/mt FOB, up 50 cents on the day as the global market gravitated toward a more balanced or tighter position than a few months ago due to margins-led global refining cuts. The Australian assessment rose $1/mt on the week. Low freight...
Rio tipped for alumina takeover
Some of the world’s biggest miners are believed to be positioning themselves for transformational takeover deals, with speculation mounting that Rio Tinto could be circling Alcoa’s $5 billion alumina business and that the coal giant Glencore is poised to buy the struggling Western Australia miner...
Rusal to boost alumina capacity despite global surplus
Russian aluminium giant Rusal is taking advantage of a slide in the country's currency to boost its alumina production capacity despite a global surplus of the material, an executive said on Wednesday. Ramping up production would allow the company to take advantage of higher margins offered by the...
Fallout from Malaysian ban continues as authorities step up bauxite export licence checks
Fallout from Malaysian ban continues as authorities step up export licence checks. CBIX edged lower again last week, down 1.8% (US$0.9) to finish at US$46.6/dmt. The fall was more reflective of the subdued alumina market, particularly in China, than the longer term implications of the Malaysian...
Asia Alumina: Australia firms $1.50/mt to $204.50/mt as longs contract
Platts Australian alumina daily assessment at $204.50/mt FOB gained $1.50/mt from Monday, January 22nd, as the market continued to gravitate from a long to a more balanced position. Global refining cuts in response to poor margins, and recent consumer restocking and dip buying have put a floor...
Gramercy's Noranda alumina plant could close; 444 jobs at stake
A foreign tax dispute and sagging commodity prices could lead a St. James Parish manufacturing plant to close, leading to the loss of 444 jobs. Noranda ships bauxite that it mines in Jamaica to its plant in Gramercy, where alumina is extracted. That material then goes to the company's smelter...
