Coal-heavy Australian aluminium vs renewables-led New Zealand: How Oceania is balancing decarbonisation
Oceania’s primary aluminium industry is facing a fragmented energy transition. While Australia, the leading aluminium producer of the continent, has abundant renewable resources and a well-established aluminium value chain, its smelters remain significantly more dependent on fossil-fuel-based...
Can the US afford to cut Canada off? 75% aluminium and $100b energy tell the story
The US aluminium industry’s dependence on Canada extends far beyond primary aluminium imports. While Canada supplies around 75 per cent of US imported primary aluminium, covering roughly 60 per cent of the country’s annual aluminium usage, it is also a major supplier of crude oil, natural gas and...
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Energy watchdog group claims Noranda Aluminum wants lower rates amid profitable growth
Noranda Aluminum alleges Ameren Missouri is overcharging consumers for electricity and gas. But one watchdog group says Noranda is just trying skirt the system to get a better deal than it deserves. Tennessee-based Noranda Aluminum runs a large smelting facility in Southeast Missouri … it’s the...
Montenegro's Uniprom offers to buy aluminium firm KAP's assets
Montenegrin privately-held metals trader Uniprom has filed the sole bid in the second tender for the sale of bankrupt aluminium firm KAP's assets, offering to pay the starting price of EUR 28mn, daily Vijesti reported on Feb 20. The offered price was somewhat lower than the EUR 28.5mn Uniprom...
Noranda electric-rate case raises novel questions for Missouri
Aluminum producers sometimes say their product is really molten electricity, not metal. The industry witticism reflects the fact that energy accounts for one-third or more of a smelter’s production costs, and it helps explain why one producer is asking the Missouri Public Service Commission for a...
Energy gains lost with closure of Alcoa’s recycling plant
The close down of the last aluminium recycling plant in NSW is a great blow for sustainability and jobs, as the plant has the capacity to save 95% of the total energy used for manufacturing aluminium, the environmental experts says. Alcoa has announced the closure of the aluminium plant in Yennora,...
Australia's Origin says manufacturing closures won't hurt power demand
Origin Energy Ltd, Australia's biggest energy retailer, expects little impact on power demand from a string of closures of car plants and an aluminium smelter, as new gas liquefaction plants would take up the slack. Only if newer, larger aluminium smelters were shut would there be a big hit to...
Rusal witnesses lowest aluminium output in 8 years as smelters shut
United Co. Rusal, the largest aluminium producer in the world, plans to cut down output to a minimum in the coming eight years as it will be shutting down inefficient smelters. It is expected production will be around 3.5 million metric tons in 2014, the company said on Tuesday to the Hong Kong...
Romanian aluminum producer Alro ends 2013 on a loss
Romania’s aluminum producer Alro Slatina reported for 2013 a preliminary adjusted net loss on RON 78 million (some EUR 17.6 million), compared to an adjusted net profit of RON 123 million (EUR 27.6 million) in 2012. It also reported sales of RON 2.02 billion (EUR 458 million) in 2013. The company...
Rio sees a positive outlook for Tiwai Point smelter
Rio Tinto, International mining giant, the ultimate owner of the Tiwai Pt smelter near Bluff, said the outlook for aluminium was positive despite a 9% fall in spot prices over the year 2013. The aluminium division of Rio- Rio Tinto Alcan, reported last week underlying earnings of around US$557...
Noranda requests lower electricity rate for New Madrid smelter in US
Noranda Aluminum has requested the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) for a rate design change that would reduce electricity costs at its aluminum smelter in New Madrid, Missouri, US. Supported by testimony of the United Steelworkers Union, community organizations, legislators, Missouri...
Industry representatives suggest standard for Aluminium Sustainability as a part of Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)
Industry representatives including Nespresso, Audi, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Tetra Pak have put forward criteria for a global standard for sustainable aluminium production. The standard is part of the IUCN-led Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), whose aim is to foster responsible...
Brazil primary aluminum output for 2013 falls 9.2 pct
The Brazilian Aluminum Association, said on Thursday, primary aluminum production in Brazil fell 9.2 % to 1.3 million tonnes in 2013 in comparison to 1.44 million tonnes the previous year. According to the association,despite Brazilian electricity costs getting low, it resulted in the decline as it...
Century receives permission from Kentucky Public Service Commission for market-priced power for Sebree smelter
Century Aluminum Sebree LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Century Aluminum Company, announced today that the Kentucky Public Service Commission has approved agreements among Century Aluminum, Big Rivers Electric Corporation and Kenergy Corp. that will allow Century to purchase market-priced power...
Chinalco makes a significant breakthrough in electrolytic aluminum technology
Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco) took seven years to develop the technology to produce electrolytic aluminum using a 600 kA super-large cell. Recognized as a significant project under 863 Program in China in the year 2009, the technology was tested & certified by China Nonferrous Metals...
Alstom will supply turbine upgrade for combined-cycle power plan of DUBAL
Alstom has secured a key contract in the United Arab Emirates with Dubai Aluminium (DUBAL), to upgrade two GT13E2 gas turbines with its innovative MXL2 upgrade package. The upgrade will increase flexibility and competitive advantage of DUBAL’s combined-cycle power plant (CCPP). This new contract -...
KAAN Architecten won the Benelux Aluminium award 2013 for sustainable renovation with dreamhouse
An independent jury comprising of personalities from the world of technology, architecture and media in Belgium and Netherlands were present in Benelux Aluminium Award 2013. Among the personalities, prof. Jan Brouwer (architect, NL), the Chairman and Vice-Chairman Thomas Dierickx (architect, BE)...
Qinghai Yellow River Recycled Aluminium Co. cuts down energy consumption
Qinghai Yellow River Hydropower Recycled Aluminium Co. achieved a reduction of 341 KWs in power consumption for making each tonne of molten aluminium in 2013, China Nonferrous Metals News reported. The company, which is an affiliate of Aluminium Corporation of China (Chinalco) and located in...
South Africa aluminum industry in crisis with Eskon deal
Critics have argued BHP Billiton’s power deal with Eskom might be a great deal for the firm but turn out to be a disaster for South Africa. Brokered initially by Mick Davis and then by Derek Keys, the finance minister of the National Party, Gencor (later as BHP) built the Richards Bay smelters....
Permission sought on using Sterlite Energy for Vedanta's aluminium smelter
The Energy Department has sought the views of Gridco, the power trading utility of the State, on the issue of granting permission to the Vedanta Aluminium and Power to use power from Sterlite Energy. This is in response to Vedanta Group’s request to the State Government for using 600 MW power from...
