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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COVID-19 Recovery: Victorian Greens suggests upgrading Portland Aluminium smelter to serve as “reverse battery”
The Victorian Greens, the Victorian state member party of the Australian Greens, has reportedly come up with a green COVID-19 recovery package, which consists of funding to upgrade Portland Aluminium smelter to allow it to act as a “reverse battery” while being powered by wind and solar. The...
Transpower advises Tiwai Point Smelter to hold-up a year for discount, Rio Tinto voices its “urgent”
The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter with 800 employees near Bluff in New Zealand might have to hold up for a year to find out whether their jobs are safeguarded as the combat over its power bill continues. The Electricity Authority of New Zealand last week covered the way for the smelter to apply for...
Energy-saving furnace for Heck + Becker at its die-casting technology centre in Germany
At its Die Casting Technology centre in Germany, toolmaker Heck + Becker carries out casting tests for tool acceptance testing and fine-tuning innovative casting processes. It does this with the help of a fully automated die casting cell with a clamping force of 3,200 tonnes. Around 150 tonnes of...
Alcoa considers to lay-off 534 workers from its San Ciprian aluminium plant in Spain
On 28 th May’20, the aluminium producer, Alcoa announced that it is considering to lay-off 534 workers San Ciprian aluminium plant in the Spanish region of Galicia. However, a final decision is yet to be made. The high energy costs and low aluminium prices led to persistent losses and left the...
Nexans secures major sub-sea HVDC cable contract from Greece’s Ariadne Interconnection S.P.S.A
Nexans has secured a major contract to design, manufacture and install a 335 km subsea high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable system for Ariadne Interconnection S.P.S.A, owned 100% by IPTO, Greece’s state grid operator. The interconnection will link the electricity network on mainland Greece to...
Why buy AlCircle’s Report on “Energy Consumption in Aluminium Smelting and Changing Technologies Towards Gas Emission?
As aluminium enters markets that had earlier been dominated by traditional metals, especially steel, competition and comparisons on energy consumption have caught the eyes of end-use sectors across the world. In 2019, to produce one tonne of aluminium, the average total energy (AC) intensity across...
Trimet Aluminium SE in Hamburg settles new Anode Baking Furnace into operation
Trimet Aluminium SE’s aluminium smelter in Hamburg settles a new baking furnace for the production of carbon anodes, aiming to ensure greater energy efficiency. The new brick-lined ring chamber furnace with 48 chambers superseded an eight-year-old furnace, ensuring greater energy efficiency. An...
“As a group focused on design, production, and maintenance of equipment, we see innovation as a way to make our solutions more efficient and competitive” - Cédric Schmuck, Director of the Aluminium Division within REEL
REEL is an industrial group specializing in complex lifting and handling systems as well as integrated systems solutions. It is using the present sanitary crisis to reinforce an Industry 4.0 approach in its different markets: Nuclear, Aluminium, Aeronautics, Offshore, etc. Many technological...
Launched! AlCircle’s new report “Energy Consumption in Aluminium Smelting and Changing Technologies Towards Gas Emission”
AlCircle has added a new Sector Focus Report - “Energy Consumption in Aluminium Smelting and Changing Technologies Towards Gas Emission” to its 2020 portfolio. The report promises to provide a deep insight into energy consumption by the primary aluminium sector and various technological...
Aluminij Mostar: Bosnian Aluminium smelter’s debt amounts $166 million
Isaac M. Tamir, Chairman of the T. T. Abraham Group, stated: “Mostar’s Aluminum Debt does not apply to the new Aluminum Industries Company, HZHB Elektroprivreda utility company stated that the payment of the electricity consumed debt is an integral part of Mostar’s restructuring plan."...
Hydro reopens extrusion and recycling plants amid coronavirus
Hydro has announced the re-opening of recycling plants and extrusion plants amid coronavirus to fulfill backlog and meet customer demand in different segments. Recyclers Azuqueca in Spain, Lucé in France, Rackwitz in Germany and Deeside in UK restarted this week after being temporarily closed. “US...
Hydro provides updates on operations amid coronavirus
Hydro has provided updates on its business operations amid the coronavirus pandemic. While the situation is leading to closures and reduced production at many sites, Hydro has reopened some facilities to meet customer demand. The company has reopened some sites at extrusion solutions operations in...
The “Corona” crisis: Rio Tinto considers suspending production at Iceland Aluminium Smelter
Rio Tinto considers suspending the production at its Straumsvík smelter in Iceland for two years. The company is one of the world’s largest metal and mining corporations are considering various options to reduce its losses during the economic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rio Tinto’s...
Amid “Corona” spread-out: Nalco's Angul Aluminium smelter runs smoothly with adequate supply of coal stock
The Indian state-owned National Aluminium Company (Nalco), has overcome the supply interruptions with sufficient coal stocks stacked up at the site of its smelting complex at Angul. Nalco’s aluminium smelter can produce 0.46 million tonnes and it is carrying out its uninterrupted operations. The...
Damco Aluminum Delfzijl Coöperatie seeks refuge in green electricity but Covid-19 creates uncertainty
Karel Oldenburger, General Manager, commented “If those piles have just been produced and lifted out, they have another dangling point. That is aluminium at its best.” Oldenburger has been working at Damco Aluminum Delfzijl Coöperatie, or Aldel for more than a decade. He has the experience of...
Rio Tinto’s CEO to meet the Federal and State ministers of Australia to decide on Tomago Aluminium’s future
Jean-Sebastien Jacques, CEO, Rio Tinto, will be meeting the federal and State Government ministers of Australia about to discuss on the future of Tomago Aluminium smelter. Mr Jean-Sebastien will meet the New South Wales government representatives coming week as the smelter is confronting a threat...
Rio Tinto’s subsidiary Pacific Aluminium has reported a net loss of $46 million concerning its NZ Aluminium Smelter for 2019
Pacific Aluminium the subsidiary of Rio Tinto has announced a net loss of $46 million with its interest in the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter for the year 2019. Pacific Aluminium holds 79% shareholding in New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelter, and say: “the loss is a result of consistently lower and...
Arconic’s Russia operations certified against ASI Performance Standard
Arconic has received Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Performance Standard Certification for its global headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, as well as operations in Samara, Russia. Russia facility manufactures aluminium extrusions, forgings, castings, sheet and plate for automotive, energy,...
