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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Century alters its power rate proposal
Saying it would "substantially reduce the risk" to regular ratepayers, Century Aluminum officials have changed some key aspects of a power rate proposal pending with the state Public Service Commission. In testimony filed with the PSC last Friday, the company removed a controversial "guaranteed...
10 students from Masdar Institute visit EMAL Smelter Complex
A total of 10 participants from the Ektashif program, an outreach initiative of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, visited Emirates Aluminium's (EMAL) state-of-the-art smelter...
Dubal to be a lead sponsor of World Energy Forum 2012
With 2012 designated the UN's International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) has signed up as a lead sponsor of the World Energy Forum 2012, which this year will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (22-24 October). The World Energy Forum will focus its attention on...
UAE grants license to build two nuclear reactors for power
Reuters reports that the United Arab Emirates will be the first gulf state to start construction of a commercial nuclear power plant in the region. The UAE has committed itself to this energy path to avoid using increasingly scarce natural gas supplies for electricity generation, water...
Rio Tinto Alcan can finish second tunnel at Kemano
Rio Tinto Alcan has been given the green light to complete the construction of the second tunnel at Kemano power station site. Spokesperson Colleen Nyce says operations stopped last week because the company had not received its full approval of the final water licence amendment. "Rio Tinto Alcan is...
First day of protest in the bauxite mining town, Linden
Except for commercial banks, most businesses in the bauxite mining town of Linden closed their doors and public transportation ground to a halt to mark the beginning of a five-day shutdown against a hike in electricity tariffs. Businesses, including the post office, did not open Wednesday....
Century ready to invest in Ravenswood plant
Century Aluminum's chief executive said last week his company would be willing to invest up to $100 million in its idled Ravenswood plant, should Century get a viable power agreement from the state Public Service Commission. Century is currently working with state officials to craft a power...
Kentucky's Hawesville smelter's future at risk due to higher electrcity rate
An aluminum company warned Monday that its nearly 800-employee Hawesville smelter in western Kentucky is being put at risk as a result of stalled negotiations to achieve concessions in its power costs to help offset sluggish global aluminum prices. Century Aluminum executives updated plant...
Alba employees receive Green Belt certification
Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA) recently announced it first batch of 12 employees certified under the Six Sigma Green Belt Certification programme run by business process improvement specialist Rath & Strong. The company introduced the scheme as part of its phase one AlbaSmartWay initiative, which was...
DUBAL's energy conservation efforts yields positive result
The energy conservation efforts at Dubai Aluminium ("DUBAL") - the wholly state-owned corporation that operates a one million metric tonne per annum primary aluminium smelter, the world's largest using pre-bake anode technology - continue to achieve good results. A member of the Dubai Supreme...
Reopening Ravenswood plant is important: Century CEO
Century Aluminum's president and CEO said Monday that he and his company remain dedicated to reopening the company's Ravenswood smelting plant by the end of the year or early next year. "We are trying to get this plant reopened. We have made good progress over the last nine to 12 months," Michael...
Nalco plans to venture into power sector
National Aluminium Co., India’s largest state-run producer plans to invest $2 billion to generate and sell electricity after a slide in metal prices shrank profit margins to the smallest in at least 12 years. “All our calculations with aluminum have gone wrong,” Chairman B.L. Bagra said in an...
China supports local aluminium output with power subsidies
China's provincial governments are propping a quarter of domestic aluminium production through power subsidies despite soft global demand, consultancy AZ China said on Friday. "These subsidies play a huge part in turning loss-making operations into profitable centres...The number of plants under...
City to work with Aluminum Castings to cut emissions
Mayor Sal Garza and Aluminum Castings President Bret Markum agreed Monday to work together to reduce emissions that will stem from an increase in the company’s manufacturing output. The City Council approved an ordinance Monday that would rezone the company’s property to allow for heavy industrial...
Aerosol sprays to be recycled with food and drink cans in Somerset to recover metal
They deliver everything from deodorant to insecticide, hair spray to paint, with each household getting through 27 a year on average. And until this week the vast majority of the 6.5 million aerosols used every year in Somerset were ending up in the refuse bin and heading for landfill. But from now...
GCC Aluminium may contribute 15% to global aluminum output by 2015
According to Frost & Sullivan, the Aluminum production in the Ulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is expected to grow significantly in the short to medium term. The region is expected to contribute around 15 per cent of the total global production of Aluminium by 2015. GCC has no clear advantage in terms...
Nexans' innovative Lo-Sag conductor to solve Brazil's Electricity Transmission Problems
Nexans, a worldwide leading expert in the cable industry, has worked with Light, Rio de Janeiro's electric utility, to develop the innovative Lo-Sag conductor to help solve Brazil's crucial issue of supplying more electricity to its large urban centres, where the construction of new overhead...
Bosnia's Aluminij Mostar smelter to cut output due to lower metal prices and higher power costs
Bosnia's aluminium smelter Aluminij Mostar said it may have to cut output, due to lower metal prices combined with higher power costs, and appealed for help from the government for the country's top exporter and crucial employer. The metal sector exports account for about 80 percent of overall...
