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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First Bauxite LLC in Guyana considers building an Aluminium Smelter: Provided Natural gas sourced electricity supplied
First Bauxite LLC, a natural resource company engaged in the exploration and development of bauxite deposits in Guyana, South America has indicated to the Government of Guyana, regarding its intention to build an aluminium smelter in the country, provided natural gas, a cheap source of electricity...
Rio Tinto bargains for cheaper power supply for its Iceland Aluminium smelter
Rio Tinto made public that it might have to shut down its aluminium smelter in Iceland (ISAL) if the country’s state-controlled energy supplier does not deliver a cheaper deal. The warning again indicates the tough market aluminium producers around the world are facing, as the demand fades and...
Rio Tinto’s Tiwai Point Aluminium smelter in NZ can stay open: Contact Energy’s CEO send a positive note
Dennis Barnes, CEO, Contact Energy NZ is optimistic that Rio Tinto, the major-owner of Tiwai Point Aluminium smelter can keep it open, but with an upgrade of the power grid - for when the facility does eventually close - will happen sooner rather than later. Rio Tinto's review of the ageing smelter...
EGA’s efficiency of electricity generation to get enhanced: Giant gas turbine moved by road to EGA Jebel Ali site
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, on 8 th February’20 made public that a giant gas turbine, the biggest in the UAE, has been moved by road from DP World’s Jebel Ali port and installed at EGA’s Jebel Ali site in a...
Alcoa Corp’s Australian aluminium smelter slug by power failure amidst the heatwave
The Alcoa Corp’s Australian aluminium smelter was slug by power failure as on 31st January’20, following a transmission line toppled amidst high temperatures in the south-eastern part of the country. Australian Energy Market Operator, the administrator of electricity supply said: “the transmission...
Ghana’s debt-to-GDP ratio speculated tip-off to 65% by 2023, incorporating Sinohydro Bauxite barter deal
Ghana’s debt will rise predominantly due to an annual assumption of 2% of GDP in the form of contingent liabilities. The disbursals under the $2 billion financing deal with Sinohydro, an infrastructure financing deal that has been an ancillary by country’s yet-to-be-mined and refined bauxite...
Alcoa to continue operating its aluminium smelter in Victoria, at least till mid-2021
Alcoa will reportedly continue operating its aluminium smelter in Victoria, despite a significant net global loss last year. According to the report, while Alcoa reported a $1.12 billion net global loss in 2019, the smelter received $200 million in Australian government subsidies as part of a...
Rio Tinto’s Tiwai Point Aluminium smelter can be bailed out: A NZ firm promises
A New Zealand firm promises its Potline technology could rescue Rio Tinto to keep Tiwai Point open, support the Government to cut carbon emissions and help Meridian's bottom line. The distressed aluminium smelter uses about 12% of New Zealand's electricity every year, pays tens of millions of...
CRU brings its global gathering of cable makers and thought-leaders to London for the first time in its history
CRU, leading provider of cable news, analysis and consulting is to hold its 14th CRU Wire & Cable Conference on 8-10 June 2020. Attracting over 200 key executives, the conference is well established as the premier meeting place for the world’s cable makers and the insulated wire and cable supply...
Vedanta Ltd SEZ Unit in Jharsugda gets ISO 50001:2011 certification for energy-efficient aluminium production
According to a recent report, Vedanta Limited, Jharsugda’s Special Economic Zone unit (Plant 2) has received the coveted certification of ISO 50001:2011 (Energy Management System), with effect from December 19, for energy-efficient production and supply of primary aluminium, aluminium ingots, and...
Log9 Materials bets on aluminium fuel cells, 1000 km range electric car battery
Log9 Materials, a Bengaluru-based start-up, believes that the fundamental is to focus on the generation of energy, in place of energy storage. It says that a car powered by aluminium fuel cells can have a drive of 1000 km, post which the aluminium plates can be replaced within minutes. The contest...
GRIDCo reinstates power to VALCO in Ghana
Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has reinstated the power to the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) after suspending electricity supply to the Tema based aluminium smelting plant on 30 th December’19, in regards to $30 million debt. The Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Energy...
Carbon tax on coal gets waived to boon Aluminium, Steel industry
The government’s manifesto to waive a clean energy cess levied on coal is anticipated to bring down production costs for aluminium and steel producers who use it as a fuel mix. The proposal, which focuses to enhance the financial health of power utilities and distribution companies, was put ahead...
China’s Henan Shenhuo to start production at Yunnan aluminium on December 31
According to a report on Thursday, December25, China’s Henan Shenhuo Group will start the production at its aluminium smelting project in the Wenshan prefecture of Yunnan province, with initial capacity 150,000 tonnes per year. Wenshan, having abundant hydropower resources for the energy-intensive...
Management at Aluminij Mostar resigns after the failure of a buying offer by an investor
According to a company report, management at Aluminij Mostar, Bosnia's sole aluminium smelter has resigned after a potential investor submitted an inadequate buying offer for the smelter. The debt-ridden smelter was shut down in July because of high electricity and alumina prices. A failure to find...
Mercury Marine wins sustainable process award for aluminium use
Mercury Marine received the Sustainable Process Award from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council (WSBC) at the Sustainable Business Awards Ceremony. The award recognized Mercury Marine for several sustainable practices in the company’s process of using aluminum for manufacturing outboard...
Chalmers University researcher says aluminium air batteries likely to be at per with LIBs within 15 years
According to researcher Niklas Lindahl from the Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology, aluminium air batteries (AIBs), which is in an R&D phase now, will be at per with lithium-ion batteries in 10 to 15 years’ time and substitute them in many applications. Once industrial scale...
“Saudi Arabia is the standout. There is a state-backed vision to diversify from the oil and gas sector into other industries, including the minerals sector,” Dr. Alessio Scarsella – Director, Bauxite and Alumina Technology, Outotec & Antti Koulumies – Vice President, Aluminium Business Line
Outotec develops and delivers industry benchmark technologies and life-cycle services for its customers in the mining, metal, energy, and chemical sector, helping them sustainably improve their profitability. AlCircle spoke to Dr. Alessio Scarsella – Director, Bauxite and Alumina Technology, and...
