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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Rusal ready to buy Bogoslovsk CHPP from IES at price no higher than actual cost
Russian aluminum company UC Rusal is prepared to buy the Bogoslovsk Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHPP), but only if IES (the plant's beneficiary) does not insist on a price higher than a level that covers costs. "If somebody decides that this is a good opportunity to sell it to us and get a...
Tajikistan's 2011 Aluminum Output Down 20% On Year
Tajikistan produced 280,000 metric tons of primary aluminum in 2011, a fall of 20% compared with 2010, the economic development ministry said Wednesday. Tajikistan exports all the aluminum it produces. The reason for the fall in output is disruption in electricity and coke supplies, the ministry...
CIL's pricing to raise companies' cost in energy-sensitive sector
Coal India's (CIL) new pricing mechanism is likely to raise operating costs of companies in the energy sensitive sector, rating agency Icra said today. "The operating costs of companies in energy-sensitive industries like primary aluminium are also likely to increase since many of them have...
Aluminium's energy nightmare
The message came loud and clear from Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia that a power intensive industry like aluminium will do well to be sharply focussed on process improvements to economise on energy consumption per unit of metal smelted. This is because industry should...
Fire in electrical cables halt work at aluminium factory
WORK at a major factory ground to a halt for several hours after an electrical cable fire early yesterday. Cables of high-voltage switchgears caught fire at Sitra-based Gulf Aluminium Rolling Company (Garmco), sources told the GDN. "The power went off at around midnight and was back only by 6am,"...
Fluctuations in world aluminium capacity
For its size and multi-country production facilities, frequent technology updates and a balance sheet making it a “confident company in a nervous world,” Alcoa of the US is seen as bellwether of the world aluminium industry. Therefore, when Alcoa reported a loss in the final quarter of 2011, the...
Aluminium Smelting Succumbs To Costs
Aluminium is the costliest of the standard base metals to produce, with final smelting requiring significant inputs of water and power. Power has proven the aluminium smelting industry's biggest problem, being the greatest contributor to a 30% increase in production cost over the past two years....
Romania’s Alro May Reduce Output on Low Electricity Supplies
Romanian aluminum smelter Alro SA (ALR) may temporarily halt some production, lowering total capacity, or restructure operations as power supplies from hydropower generator Hidroelectrica SA falter. Alro, majority owned by Vimetco NV (VICO), is trying to avoid an output cut as Hidroelectrica is...
Aluminium producers face tough times
A resource analyst says it will continue to be a difficult time for Australian aluminium producers due to energy costs and a global oversupply of the product. Recently, there has been a global drop in aluminium prices. Last year, Rio Tinto Alcan announced it was selling off 13 of its aluminium...
Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Future Uncertain, Blame Bad Economy
Industry experts say a tough economy means the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company won't likely reopen this spring. The aluminum industry's been hard hit by high electric prices and a lousy economy. Plant officials had hoped a deal for better power prices with Bonneville Power would help them reopen,...
THIRD OF ALUMINUM CAPACITY IN CHINA LIKELY TO LIE IDLE IN 2012
About one-third of the aluminum capacity in China is likely to lie idle in 2012, hitting a record high since 2009, due to the rising energy cost and falling prices of aluminum, according to media reports. China's aluminum output is estimated to reach nearly 20 million metric tonnes in 2012 and the...
Smelter hit by hike in spot power
Dry conditions are forcing the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter to pay about five times the average spot power price and could result in reduced production if it continues. NZ Aluminium Smelters acting general manager Stewart Hamilton said the smelter was watching the spot prices as the cost of...
ALRO Slatina is closing down
The trade unionists in Alro say they have been warned by the management that the unit will be closed down in February – March, asking the government, the ministry of economy and the Olt county administration not to stop the activity in this unit, thus avoind lay-offs. “Over the last three months of...
China to Curb Nonferrous Metal Production Growth Through 2015
China will curb the expansion of smelters producing nonferrous metals including copper and aluminum in the five years through 2015 to reduce overcapacity and energy consumption. The country’s annual aluminum output will be capped at 24 million metric tons by 2015 and copper production at 6.5...
NALCO to finalise coal supplier for Indonesian project in February
State-run NALCO is set to finalise a deal with a miner by next month for supply of coal to its $ 3.8 billion aluminium-cum-power project in Indonesia. "We are looking at a coal mine basically to provide coal to our power and smelter project there (Indonesia). We need 5 MTPA for 25 years. We have...
Aluminum Needs More Output Cuts
Faced with declining aluminum prices and rising costs, the largest producers in Europe and North America are starting to reduce output and hoping their Chinese rivals will make bigger cuts to send prices higher again. Three-month, benchmark aluminum prices have fallen about 28% since May, closing...
Qatalum represents Qatar's newest energy-related industry at 20th World Petroleum Congress
Qatalum, the state-of-the-art aluminium smelter constructed in line with Qatar's long-term economic diversification strategy, was present as a representative of Qatar's newest energy-related industry: aluminium. The smelter, which achieved full production earlier this year, was also a Gold Sponsor...
Barclays: Global aluminium-capacity closures now 1.3 million tons/year
Barclays Capital calculates that announced aluminium-capacity closures around the world now total 1.3 million metric tons per year. This includes capacity of 292,000 tons which has not been producing since 2009, around 342,000 tons of non-price-related closures and 85,000 tons per year of delayed...
