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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NALCO signs fuel pact with Mahanadi Coalfield Limited
The National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) on Wednesday signed a long-term fuel supply agreement with Mahanadi Coalfield Limited (MCL). As per the deal, MCL would supply 47.16 lakh MT of coal to Nalco's captive power plant (CPP) in Angul and 8,73,324 MT for steam-cum-power generation plant in...
Meridian Energy loses significantly on its commercial value
Meridian Energy - the jewel in the Government's portfolio of crown assets - may be worth nearly $2 billion less than it was valued at a year ago when it is finally listed. In its 2012 statement of corporate intent released in September last year Meridian Energy estimated its commercial value to the...
Electric cooperatives team up to save Kentucky Jobs
Two Kentucky electric cooperatives are teaming up on a deal that will save hundreds of jobs at an aluminum smelter they serve. Century Aluminum of Kentucky will now be supplied with electricity procured on the open market by Big Rivers Electric Corp. and distributed by Kenergy Corp. Both the G&T...
Century aluminium smelter's exit may push Electric utility to hike 21 percent rate to consumers
A western Kentucky electric utility is telling customers their rates will increase by more than 20 percent after its power supplier lost its biggest customer, an aluminum smelter. Jackson Purchase Energy Corp. is telling ratepayers their electric bills will increase by an average of about $22 a...
Ormet seeks liquidity to keep two aluminum potlines open
Ormet Corp is negotiating with its equity owner for additional liquidity to keep remaining aluminum operations running, after shutting down two potlines late last week, a spokesman at the U.S aluminum producer said on Monday. On August 1, the Hannibal, Ohio-based company began shutting two of the...
ALSCON loses $1.4m monthly
The monthly loss of RUSAL ALSCON has reached $1.4million, it was learnt yesterday. Speaking with reporters in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, the firm’s Director of Public Relations, Tatyana Smirnova, said the plant had suffered regular disruptions in gas supply since 2007. He explained that a...
Aluminium smelters braced for shutdowns
The mainland's overcapacity-afflicted aluminium smelting industry could soon see a widespread shutdown of uncompetitive plants partly because of more cost-competitive imports, according to the chief of the country's third-largest smelter. "The second phase of industry rationalisation is already...
Romania’s aluminum producer Alro reported a loss of approx. EUR 3.8 million
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...
Alba promotes employee safety with Heat Stress Management Programme
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) has once again launched the Heat Stress Management Programme for the months of July and August to ensure that employees remain better informed about practical measures needed to be taken for enjoying a comfortable and safe summer. This would be the third consecutive...
Kentucky aluminum smelter to buy open market power
The Kentucky Public Service Commission has approved an agreement that allows a large western Kentucky aluminum smelter to end its contract with a utility and begin buying electricity on the open market. The Century Aluminum smelter in Hawesville was Big Rivers Electric Corp.'s biggest customer. The...
Aluminium boom in China causes concern
An aluminium boom in China is causing some concern for our future. After a year of negotiations Meridian Energy and New Zealand Aluminium Smelters have agreed to terms. The two have settled on an electricity price for the next 17 years, although there are get out clauses and options for NZAS to...
Eskom suffers loss on supplying cheap power to BHP Billiton’s aluminium smelters
Eskom has finally owned up to the full liability it faces as a result of preferential deals to supply cheap power to BHP Billiton’s aluminium smelters, putting it at a stunning R11.5bn in its latest financial statements — double that stated in previous years. In last year’s statements, Eskom put...
Meridian Energy writes down its asset value after negotiating with Tiwai Point smelter
Meridian Energy has posted a 53 percent increase in underlying net profit after tax of $162.7 million, but has had to write down the total value of its assets by $476m after renegotiating the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter power deal. The new deal, announced last week, gives the smelter cheaper...
Jamaica's bauxite, alumina fate reliant on energy sources
A reliance on expensive, imported energy has temporarily shuttered Jamaica’s bauxite alumina industry. But foreign operators who are working there hope to slash costs and kick-start production once more. Both United Co Rusal and Alcoa are looking at alternatives to the costly oil they are forced to...
Vale updates alumina and aluminium division
In Q2 2013, Vale's bauxite extraction was 2.8% higher than in Q2 2012 and 6.0% higher than in Q1 2013 as a result of increased alumina production. Alumina production increased 8.5% against Q2 2012 which experienced processing issues and slightly decreased against Q1 2013. Internal consumption of...
Share price the priority behind Govt's investment on Tiwai Point smelter
NZ Finance Minister Bill English was transparent about the reasons for injecting $30 million into the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. Not known as a champion of government intervention, especially when it involves injecting taxpayers' money into struggling businesses, English said the deal would...
Meridian Energy reaches electricity contract deal with Tiwai Pt smelter
Meridian Energy has had to give up previously negotiated price increases and the government has chipped in with a $30 million ""incentive payment"" to keep the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter open until at least January 2017. Meridian chief executive Mark Binns announced the deal in a statement to the...
Former Northern Territory CM Terry Mills slams Giles on gas deal change
Former Northern Territory Chief Minister Terry Mills says his successor is risking the Territory's future energy supply by reneging on the gas to Gove deal. Chief Minister Adam Giles last month halved the previous offer of gas to Rio Tinto subsidiary Pacific Aluminium, which operates the Gove...
