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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Oak Ridge National Laboratory recommends automotive aluminium over steel
Opting for aluminum over steel in new automobile construction to improve fuel economy is also the best way to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, according to a new study by the United States Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). “As the U.S. works to reduce...
Venezuela invests $3.5m to push Alcasa aluminium output to 170,000 tpy
The Venezuelan government has injected 22 million bolívares ($3.49 million) for equipment and installation investments at Corporación Venezolana de Guayana Alcasa (CVG Alcasa), according to local media. The state-owned producer intends to restart 230 electrolytic cells to reach a total of 389 in...
Rio Tinto needs more time to consider NT Government's gas offer
Pacific Aluminium won't commit to the struggling Gove alumina refinery - claiming it now needs even more time to consider the NT Government's gas offer. The company's Canada-based chief executive Phillip Strachan flew into Darwin on Monday to hold crucial face-to-face talks with Chief Minister Adam...
Emal’s third production line energisation three months ahead of schedule
Emirates Aluminium Co.’s (Emal) third production line got energised yesterday, three months ahead of schedule with rollout of the first hot metal by September 19 signalling the start of production, top-ranking executives at Emal said. “We have expanded our power station to 3,000 megawatts from...
Appeal court sides with Alcoa over Apache
Aluminium giant Alcoa has had a win in its bid to recoup more than $100 million from gas producer Apache over the massive explosion at the Varanus Island plant in 2008. The disaster slashed the state's domestic gas supplies by about a third and dented its economy to the tune of an estimated $3...
Cost pressures puts up challenged upon China’s emerging aluminium hub Xinjiang
The rise of China’s Xinjiang province as a hub for aluminium production may be challenged in the coming years by increasing transport and labour costs, and its difficult geographical location, market participants said. Once a comparatively small cog in China’s aluminium production, northwest...
Government postpones sale of Meridian Energy shares
The Government postponed an announcement this week on the sale of shares in Meridian Energy, sparking doubts about whether the sell-off will go ahead on schedule in November. Opposition MPs believe the sale has been stalled by embarrassing revelations about the public bailout of Tiwai Pt aluminium...
Hydro seeks support for pilot aluminium plant
Norwegian aluminium producer Hydro has asked Enova for support in connection with a project to test next-generation aluminium electrolysis technology at a pilot plant in Karmøy, Norway. The plant will have annual production capacity of 70,000 metric tons with the aim of testing the world’s most...
Key ignored advice over smelter deal: Treasury
Prime Minister John Key was on the phone to Pacific Aluminium boss Sandeep Biswas offering him millions of taxpayer dollars to keep the Tiwai Point smelter open, just two days after his ministers largely discarded the idea, Treasury documents show. The documents released yesterday show Mr Key...
Tiwai Point payment 'should be rejected'
Treasury advised the Government not to pay the owners of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter to keep the business running during negotiations over power prices with Meridian Energy, documents released this afternoon show. Early last month the Government made a one-off payment of $30 million to New...
Pressure on Rio Tinto as Gove gas offer cut again
Chief Minister Adam Giles has further reduced his offer of gas to power Rio Tinto's alumina refinery at Gove in the Northern Territory. Speaking at the South East Asia Australia Offshore Conference (SEAAOC) conference in Darwin, Mr Giles again justified reneging on the offer of 300 petajoules of...
Coal concerns mar Nalco's prospects
The share price of National Aluminium Company or Nalco has risen almost 40 per cent from its 10-year low of INR 24.10 seen on August 6 to INR 33.7 on the back of a rise in the global aluminium price, which is up only marginally, and a weak rupee that props up realisations. As compared to the...
Brazil’s aluminium production falls in July
Brazil’s aluminium output fell 8% year-on-year in July as lower metal prices and high energy costs discouraged new investments in primary production. The country’s primary aluminium output stood at 110,800 tonnes in July, compared with 120,400 tonnes in the same month last year, according to...
Chalco narrows loss in H1 by cost reduction
Aluminium Corporation of China (Chalco) narrowed losses significantly in the first half thanks to its cost reduction efforts and gains realized from disposals of some business lines. The company recorded a total loss of 596 million yuan ($96.6 million) in the first six months, it told Hong Kong...
Romania’s aluminum producer Alro reports a loss in first semester
Romania’s Alro, a subsidiary of aluminum producer Vimetco, reported a loss of RON 17 million (EUR 3.8 million) in the first semester against a profit of RON 26 million (EUR 6 million) in the same period of last year, citing high energy costs and disappointing aluminum prices that reached fresh...
Rio Tinto invests in French aluminium plant to cut power costs
Rio Tinto has invested nearly 80 million euros in its Dunkirk aluminium plant in the past 18 months and plans to invest at least that much again over the next five years on energy saving and efficiency improvements. The largest aluminium plant in the European Union with 2012 production of 260,000...
GMDC-Nalco aluminium smelter takes a back seat
The aluminium smelter project, part of Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC)'s ambitious Rs 15,000-crore aluminium park in Kutch, Gujarat, has been put on back burner as GMDC and its partner National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) are yet to finalise the terms and conditions for it. GMDC...
Indonesia's power cable industry heads for a shakeout
Indonesia may lose three-quarters of its power cable makers in the next two to three years as thin margins drive weaker players to accept buyouts, leaving a handful of larger companies to feed the fast-growing economy's electricity demand. Cable industry revenues in Southeast Asia's biggest economy...
