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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China Henan Sanmenxia delays restart of idled aluminum capacity
China Henan Sanmenxia Tianyuan Aluminium's smelter in Mianchi city has delayed the restart of its earlier idled capacity due to unfavourable market conditions, a company source said Thursday. The plant was originally scheduled to resume full capacity in June, but was now expected to restart next...
Power Cuts for Aluminum Firms
Aluminum processors in China have received notices from energy suppliers asking them to brace for power cuts as the country faces electricity shortages this summer, potentially heralding disruption across the industry. Fabricators in areas short of power, including Henan Province, the country's...
China Power Tariff Hike Unlikely To Push Up Aluminum Prices
China's decision to raise retail power prices by around 3% from Wednesday for non-residential users is unlikely to push up aluminum product prices in the domestic market although energy is a key input in the production of aluminum, accounting for about 40% of the production cost. A majority of...
Eskom Interrupted Power to BHP Billiton Aluminum Smelter on Low Supplies
Eskom Holdings Ltd., which supplies about 95 percent of South Africa’s electricity, said it interrupted power supplies to BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP)’s smelters this month to help manage “tight supplies” amid colder weather. Eskom also invoked power-reduction agreements with large customers it can’t...
Smelter plans big spendup
The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter has ramped up its capital expenditure and is planning to spend about $80 million annually for the next four years, with southerners expected to benefit. New Zealand Aluminium Smelters is anticipating doubling its normal spending until 2015 after it secured a...
Semafo Plans to Build $230 Million Hydroelectric Power Plant in Guinea
Semafo Inc. (SMF), a Canadian gold producer that mines in West Africa, plans to build a hydroelectric power plant in Guinea, said Mody Oury Barry, head of the project. The $230 million, 130-megawatt plant will be constructed on the Cogon river, which is in the bauxite-rich region of Boke, Barry...
Atlas Copco for Ma'aden aluminium project
Stockholm – Atlas Copco has received two orders totaling $50m, related to the Ma’aden aluminum project in Saudi Arabia. Atlas Copco will supply 20 turbo compressors for a power generation application in a new plant outside of Jubail. The customer is a consortium of the Al-Arrab contracting company...
Atlas Copco for Ma'aden aluminium project
Stockholm – Atlas Copco has received two orders totaling $50m, related to the Ma’aden aluminum project in Saudi Arabia. Atlas Copco will supply 20 turbo compressors for a power generation application in a new plant outside of Jubail. The customer is a consortium of the Al-Arrab contracting company...
Neutral On Alcoa
We maintain our Neutral recommendation on Alcoa Inc. (NYSE:AA). Alcoa reported first-quarter 2011 earnings per share of $0.28, which was a penny ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, revenues of $5.96 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.112 billion. The company posted...
Chinese base-metals demand for power projects continues
There appears to be no slowdown in the pace of spending on power projects in China, which results in demand for base metals, says Barclays Capital. Analysts cite a report from Antaike that the Chinese State Grid Corp. of China plans to buy 1.6 million tons of aluminum, 1.12-1.25 million of copper...
Aluminum production back in full swing
Hindalco’s Q4FY11 standalone adjusted PAT (profit after tax) declined 3.7% YoY to R6.7 bn; above our estimate of R6 bn due to a lower tax rate and higher other income. Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) of R8.7 bn was broadly in line with our estimate of R9 bn....
Alumina too cheap despite 28pc price rise, producer says
Alumina too cheap despite 28pc price rise, producer says The strong Australian dollar and higher energy prices were constraining its performance, the company said. Margins for the commodity were tighter than they should be and its price did not reflect the cost and economics of producing and...
Aluminum outperformance driven by higher oil
Despite high inventory levels at the London Metal Exchange, aluminum has managed to outperform other base metals so far in 2011 as spot prices have climbed roughly 13%. Perhaps the most important driver of aluminum’s relative strength is higher oil prices, according to Kenrick Jordan, senior...
Aluminium demand to keep growing worldwide
Alumina Ltd's chief executive has told shareholders he expects the aluminium market to grow by 12 per cent this year. The Melbourne-based company has a 40 per cent stake in Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (AWAC), the world's largest alumina business with 17 per cent of global production. It would...
Century Aluminum Cuts Maintenance and Energy Costs with LED Obstruction Lights
...With an operating capacity of 244,000 tonnes per year, Century Aluminum’s Hawesville, Kentucky primary aluminum smelter has been in operation since 1969...
Beijing shuts smelters to meet energy targets
...BEIJING is shutting down aluminium smelters and targeting other heavy industry to meet tough energy conservation targets, posing risks to Australian export prices...
Rusal pledges green future for aluminium
...But rising energy prices is only one of the challenges. An average aluminium smelter produces about 700,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases each year – with the industry responsible for 1pc of all environmentally damaging emissions...
Aluminum rises on overseas market
...Commodity reported that aluminum prices gained supported by higher energy prices with prices returning to above 5 day and 10 day moving averages...
