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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Bluff smelter seeks change in power contract
The owners of the aluminium smelter at Bluff want to change their contract with state-owned electricity provider Meridian Energy. Meridian Energy today said it had been approached by Pacific Aluminium, a business unit of Rio Tinto Ltd, to discuss potential changes to the electricity contract with...
Mytilineos hit by low aluminium price
Mytilineos Holding is scheduled to show a mixed picture as it announces its 2Q results on Wednesday. A significant contribution is expected from the electricity division on the commercial operation of two CCGT power plants as well as a satisfactory performance by Metka. On the other hand, Aluminium...
Special electricity rate for Century might not affect average customer
An attorney representing Century Aluminum on Monday said the company's rate change proposal might not raise rates for other Appalachian Power customers. Century's aluminum plant in Ravenswood has been closed since 2009. Officials hope to restart the plant, but say they can't operate it at the...
Alcoa to supply aluminum drill pipes for shale gas wells
Alcoa Inc said on Thursday it won a contract to supply drill pipe made of an aluminum alloy to Pennsylvania General Energy, which operates natural gas wells in the Marcellus Shale formation of Pennsylvania. The use of aluminum instead of steel, which is more common for drill pipe, will allow PGE to...
Bosnia's sole alumina plant Birac resumes production
A day after halting production after the Balkan country's main gas distributor cut supplies to the company over outstanding debts, Bosnia's sole alumina plant, Birac resumed production on Thursday after two agreeing to pay part of its debt to the country's main gas distributor, BH Gas. Birac,...
Inner Mongolia Huomei Hongjun Aluminium & Electricity to seek loan through BNP Paribas
Inner Mongolia Huomei Hongjun Aluminium & Electricity successfully signed a $77 million three-year pre-financing term loan through sole bookrunner BNP Paribas. The facility was oversubscribed and upsized from $70 million. The fundraising consists of a $50 million tranche maturing in December 2014...
ENRC updates on alumina and aluminium division
Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation PLC announced the production of alumina and aluminium. In Q2 2012, bauxite extraction was 3.2% lower than in Q2 2011 and 4.1% higher than in Q1 2012. Alumina production decreased 8.1% versus Q2 2011 but increased 13.9% versus Q1 2012. The production problems...
Bosnia alumina plant halts production due to gas supply cut
Bosnia's sole alumina plant, Birac, halted production on Wednesday after the Balkan country's main gas distributor cut supplies to the company over outstanding debts, Birac said in a statement. "Production at the Birac factory was completely halted after all gas reserves had been exhausted," the...
Aluminij Mostar Bosnia tol cut production by 12.5%
Bosnian aluminium producer Aluminij Mostar will cut production by 12.5% with immediate effect, due to high electricity costs and low aluminium prices, and may cut production further in September, it said in a statement on Thursday July 26, Metal Bulletin reported. "The decision was made...
Nation should adopt Westren Australia's gas reservation policy: AWU
A Westren Australia-style gas reservation policy should be adopted by the rest of the nation, one of the country's biggest trade unions says. The mining state's former premier Alan Carpenter introduced the policy in late 2006, requiring 15 per cent of gas from offshore projects to be set aside for...
Grid failure hits NALCO power units in Odisha
Two units of the captive power plant of the state-run National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) in Odisha collapsed on Tuesday due to the failure of Eastern Grid, a company official said. The power plant of the company at Angul, about 161 km from in Bhubaneswar, has eight running units. Six units...
ABB to supply power to Ma'aden's aluminium facility in Saudi Arabia
ABB, the power and automation technology group, has won orders worth around $24m from Ma'aden Aluminium Company (MAC) to execute a fast-track transmission substation project in the Northeast of the country. The orders were booked in the second quarter. ABB will design, engineer and supply a new 380...
PSC holds hearing on Century Aluminum's 'special rate' plan
Should Appalachian Power customers help Century Aluminum pay its bills? That's the big question that the Public Service Commission is trying to sort out. The PSC wrapped up it's first day of hearings on Monday. The hearing surrounds a proposed 'special rate' that Century wants to pass on to its...
Jamaica explores possibilities of aluminum production locally
Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says the Government is exploring the possibility of producing aluminium locally. Speaking at Wednesday's (July 25) Jamaica House media briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr. Paulwell said details of the undertaking...
Century Aluminum wants lower power rates to re-open its Ravenswood smelter
Thursday, 26th July, Century Aluminum begins pleading its case before the public. The company wants lower power rates to keep its smelter operating. The good news is, Century Aluminum and Big Rivers are talking again. The bad news is they still don't agree on much. Century Aluminum officials say...
Dubal’s energy saving measures proving effective
Dubai Aluminium (Dubal), the state-owned aluminium producer, is forging ahead with the implementation of energy-saving initiatives in line with Dubai's Integrated Energy Strategy 2030. Between April and December 2011, Dubal saved 6.9M kWh and a further 4.4M kWh from January to June 2012. Over a...
Century Aluminum electricity rate case hearing starts on July 30
Live testimony in the evidentiary hearing that begins on Mon., July 30, in the Century Aluminum electricity rate case before the Public Service Commission of West Virginia may be less restrained than the written direct testimony that has been filed so far. "Prefiled testimony is generally gone over...
Indian Aluminum Producers hit by electricity subsidy in China and Australia (part two)
Continued from Part One. ( http://www.alcircle.com/NewsDetails.aspx?center=NC&recId=12282) For Nalco, one of India’s largest state-run aluminum producers, the recent slide in metal prices pinched its profit margins to the smallest in 12 years. In a PTI interview, its chairman had admitted that all...
