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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Primary aluminium weekly recap: Alcoa to supply low-carbon EcoLum™ aluminum to Speira; Green hydrogen a solution to keep Tiwai aluminium smelter operational beyond 2024
This week the world’s primary aluminium segment reflected sporadic yet crucial changes. LME aluminium benchmark price on Monday, April 11, had opened the week with a fall of 4.72 percent to register at US$3,234.50 per tonne. However, on Thursday, April 14, the price had inched up by 0.95 percent to...
Alupro welcomes Scanmetals, a specialist metal recycling company
On Monday, April 11, Alupro, the aluminium packaging and recycling organisation welcomed Scanmetals as its new member. Based in the United Kingdon, with operations in Scandinavia Scanmetals is a metal recycling company specializing in recovering non-ferrous metals from incinerator bottom ash...
Despite power shortage, Iceland continued supplying electricity to three aluminium smelters
Segregated from the power networks of any other country, Iceland in 2021 winter did face a unique problem of running out of electricity. The Icelanders who used to merely live on fishing for their livelihood were fortunate enough to witness the emergence of a large aluminium-smelting industry fifty...
PNNL scientists develop aluminium-nickel molten salt battery with energy density of 260 W/hr/kg
Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) of the US Department of Energy have created an aluminium-nickel (Al-Ni) molten salt battery named “freeze-thaw battery” under thermal cycling. It can disable the self-charge mechanism when the battery is turned off. With a potential...
Zimbabwean President during his Mozambique tour visits energy and aluminium wire assets
The President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa has stated the highest truth for the betterment of his people by saying African countries should look inward for sustainable development, giving particular importance to infrastructure and energy as that is the most vital source of steady economic...
Coal India’s fresh restrain of supply to CPPs may side-line the growth of the aluminium sector among other industries
Scarcity in the supply of coal is being witnessed in India for two years in a row since Coal India has restricted its deliveries to industrial customers to carry out smooth supplies to the power plants. The country is moving towards a mandatory demand peak due to summer but the fuel stockpiles are...
Campaign to reopen Alcoa Intalco Works smelter receives boost following hike in aluminium price
In April 2020, Alcoa announced the suspension of its Ferndale smelter in Washington, following diminishing demand and dropping metal prices. However, war-related sanctions on Russia that had caused aluminium spot price to reach a record high, has boosted the reopening campaign of the Alcoa Intalco...
“The current situation, with its significant dose of uncertainty regarding the future, has pushed many companies in the sector to reconnect with their essence. In the case of Insertec, we are facing this new era of aluminium by dedicating our efforts to developing solutions that reconcile people, technology and the environment”, José Ignacio Sesma, General Manager at Insertec
AlCircle: How do you envision the year 2022 for the global aluminium industry and foundry segment following the economic impact caused by the Covid pandemic? Mr José Ignacio Sesma: In Europe, just as we were recovering from the pandemic, where all industrial sectors have been impacted over the last...
“We also believe that aluminium is an important component for a growing and greener society and are fully committed to this industry for the long term”, Jean-Denis Carrier, Global Director for Aluminium & Alliances at Hatch
Mr Jean-Denis Carrier is passionate about the development and delivery of aluminium smelter projects and technologies for over 20 years. He currently is the Global Director for Aluminium & Alliances at Hatch where he leads one of the largest technical teams in the aluminium industry. Mr Carrier’s...
Global Aluminium Outlook 2022: A year to savour demand growth while combating soaring input costs and energy crisis
2021 was a year of recovery for the global aluminium industry from unpleasant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Right from the demand and usage to production, the aluminium industry underwent a revamp across all its value chain throughout the year 2021. Though the aggregate demand rose impressively...
Primary aluminium output shows downtrend across Europe in Feb’2022 as energy crisis leads to production cuts
In February 2022, primary aluminium production in Russia & Eastern Europe registered a decline of 35,000 tonnes or 10.03 per cent month-on-month to stand at 314,000 tonnes, found the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). In January, the output in Russia & Eastern Europe stood at 349,000 tonnes,...
LME aluminium price grows through the week to US$3583/t on possible production disruption due to natural gas price hike; SHFE slips to US$3619/t
Australia’s ban on its alumina and aluminium ore exports to Rusal and Russia’s price hike on natural gas causing possible disruption in aluminium production have lifted the LME prices almost throughout the week. On Monday, March 21, LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement...
LME aluminium price gallops further to US$3664/t on anticipating production disruption due to natural gas scarcity; SHFE slopes down to US$3619/t
LME aluminium opened at US$3,670per tonne on Thursday, March 24, and closed at US$3,570per tonne, down US$115 per tonne or 3.12 per cent. LME aluminium cash bid price stood at US$3,663 per tonne with a whooping rise of 2.95 per cent or US$105 per tonne and LME aluminium official settlement price...
Anglesey Aluminium plant gets new patron to continue construction, says Orthios
After gaining additional funding, a recycling enterprise that is rebuilding already shut-down aluminium plant claims it is planning to settle "outstanding invoices" of the already shut down Anglesey Aluminium plant. After smelting ceased in 2009, Orthios acquired the old Anglesey Aluminium plant...
India’s domestic aluminium smelters receive lowest coal rakes since September, pushing the country more to imports
India’s domestic coal supply to aluminium smelters record further decline with railway rakes supplying coal at the lowest rate since September, while the energy crisis appeared at its peak. This, as a consequence, has compelled the country’s aluminium industry to import more amid rising cost...
LME aluminium price rises to US$3,560/t as Russia’s new natural gas supply policy may impact metal production; SHFE escalates at US$3,653/t
LME aluminium opened at US$3,417 per tonne on Wednesday, March 23, and closed at US$3,685 per tonne, an increase of US$179 per tonne or 5.12 per cent. LME aluminium cash bid price stood at US$3,558 per tonne with a rise of 0.22 per cent or US$8 per tonne and LME aluminium official settlement price...
Yunnan Shenhuo resumes 220,000 tonnes of aluminium capacity as power crisis eases
Yunnan is home to around 10% of China's aluminium production capacity. In May 2021, the province was plagued by drought as a result of the Yunnan government had adopted initiatives to minimise the electrical consumption of aluminium smelters in the province. However, as per the latest reports,...
AAI writes to PM requesting immediate resumption of coal supply for captive power plants
Owing to the sudden decision by Coal India to further restrict coal deliveries to the non-power sector via road and rake, with no prior warning, causing huge scarcity of coal rakes for industries now expanding to road-based deliveries. The Aluminium Association of India (AAI) has written to the...
