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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Despite growth in Australia’s LNG sector, aluminium producers facing limited supply
Australia’s liquid natural gas production is growing fast, and is set to continue. But one of Australia’s biggest gas consuming sectors says it’s suffering from a stifled local market. Miles Prosser, executive director at the Australian Aluminium Council, says despite the immense growth in...
Aluminium smelter dodging threat to production
The profitability of aluminium smelter Slovalco is highly dependent on its energy-related costs, and so as its 20-year discounted energy price contract is set to terminate in late 2013, the company is warning a rise to market energy rates will make the firm uncompetitive on the international...
Gove employees kept in the dark about new gas supply offer
Pacific Aluminium knew early last month about the new gas supply offer - and didn't tell its workers. The company acted as though surprised and disappointed by Chief Minister Adam Giles' announcement of a dual fuel plan on Friday. It did not mention any uncertainty over gas in its community...
VALCO to get a dedicated power plant, energy Minister says
Volta Aluminum Company (VALCO) has begun moves to get a dedicated power plant, energy Minister Emmanuel Buah has revealed. The Tema-based alumina smelter, now wholly owned by the Government of Ghana, largely relies on power from the Akosombo Dam for its operations. Its humongous power needs has...
Ohio regulator rejects Ormet's request for subsidized power
Ohio's state utility regulator on Wednesday rejected Ormet Corp's appeal for an expedited decision on the aluminum producer's request for lower electricity rates, which it said are crucial to operating its aluminum smelter and alumina refinery. The ruling by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio...
Fed Govt has new gas pipeline plans for Gove Refinery
While residents at Nhulunbuy are fearing for their future after Chief Minister Adam Giles announced the Northern Territory government would retreated from an agreement to provide gas to help save Gove’s Rio Tinto alumina refinery, businesses in the Katherine region are worried about the economic...
Bosnia's Aluminij agrees power supply deal with Slovenian trader
Bosnia's aluminium smelter, Aluminij Mostar, which has struggled to keep going due to high electricity costs, said it has secured an advantageous 100 megawatt (MW) power supply deal for the rest of 2013 with Slovenian electricity trader GEN-I. "The price agreed with GENI-I, including the...
Constellium successfully invests in its French Neuf-Brisach plant’s modernization
Constellium N. V., a global leader in the manufacturing of value-added aluminium products has achieved a significant milestone in further enhancing the capacity and performance of one of its main rolling mills, which enhancements were undertaken in order to meet growing customer demand and to...
China's Ministry of Environmental Protection calls off Baotou Aluminium's CHP Project
Chinese government called off a combined heat and power (CHP) generation project by Baotou Aluminium Co. before it obtained an environmental impact statement. Baotou Aluminium ``arbitrarily’’ started constructing a CHP project in Baotou city of Inner Mongolia from May, 2013 without obtaining an...
Northern Territory Government has offered 195PJ of gas to Pacific Aluminium
The Deputy Chief Minister Dave Tollner will visit Gove today to update locals on progress with plans to get gas to the town. “We are taking this issue very seriously. We want to assure the people of Gove that we are working hard to find a long term solution to the town’s energy needs that is...
Extrusion for greener aluminum recycling
Aluminum recycling has become a successful business since its inception a century ago. Nearly a third of the aluminum produced in the United States is made from aluminum scraps that have been recycled in a process—usually remelting—that uses only 5 to 10 percent of the energy it takes to extract...
Trimet to acquire two Rio Tinto Aluminum plants
The German aluminum producer Trimet has agreed to acquire two of Rio Tinto’s aluminum plants in France. The plants had become high-cost producers, and Rio Tinto had been seeking to sell the facilities as a way to reduce its overall costs. The two facilities are located in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne...
Meridian Energy sale likely to take place in the next 10 weeks
According to the Government's privatisation timetable, the sale of 49 per cent of Meridian Energy will occur some time in the next 10 weeks. However, for that to happen, there must first be a resolution of Meridian's big problem with its biggest customer, the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, owned by...
Northern Territory Government wants new gas supply deal for Gove refinery
The Northern Territory Government has reneged on a proposed deal to supply gas to Rio Tinto's Gove alumina refinery. Earlier this year, the Government offered 300 petajoules of gas over 10 years from its domestic supply source to save the refinery, operated by Rio subsidiary Pacific Aluminium. Rio...
Accelerating power grid construction in china in June boosts aluminum wire and cable consumption
20,491 meters of transmission line (=220 kV) was built in H1, 2013, up 23.82% YoY. 10,011 meters of transmission line (=220 kV) was constructed in June, according to China Electricity Council (CEC). Power grid construction began to enter a peak season in June. Investment in power grid construction...
Tiwai Point power talks continue
State-owned power company Meridian Energy says talks are "ongoing" on renegotiating a power contract with the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. Media reports today suggested that a new deal was all but signed. That would help clear the way for the Government's partial privatisation of Meridian this...
The future of the gas to Gove pipeline may once again be in doubt
The future of the gas to Gove pipeline may once again be in doubt as nobody wants to pay for its construction. The NT Government gave up a decade's worth of cheap public gas to mining giant Rio Tinto in February after the company threatened to shut the Gove alumina refinery and sack 800 people. But...
Century warns Hawesville smelter may close permanently on Aug 20 without power deal
If Century Aluminum's pending application with Kentucky regulators to access cheaper wholesale power is not approved by August 20, the company's 244,000 mt/year Hawesville smelter will close and probably never reopen, the company said in a new filing Friday with the Kentucky Public Service...
