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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Century Aluminium negotiating a viable power plan to restart Ravenswood plant
Century Aluminium announced its quarterly earnings on Tuesday and also said that they are working towards reopening the shuttered Ravenswood plant through an ongoing negotiation with Appalachian Power for a sustainable power contract. CEO Michael Bless announced that they have already submitted a...
Second phase of coal auction in India postponed to March 2
The government's proccedings for the second phase of the auction of Schedule III coal blocks has been postponed till March 2. The decision is pursuant to a petition filed by Sarda Energy in Delhi High Court, and which will be heard on February 27. The auction proceedings were supposed to begin on...
Nigeria’s Aluminium Smelter Company receives power generation license
Two companies, KVK power Nigeria Pvt. Limited and Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria Plc, have been issued on-grid electricity licenses by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. These companies will now be able to generate electricity from solar and gas respectively amounting to a total...
ISRI details contributions of Shredders to the Recycling Industry in a video
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has released an educational video entitled The Shredder Story: A Revolution in Recycling. This thirteen-and-a-half-minute video shows viewers how industrial shredders work and details the impact they have made in the recycling industry. “Scrap...
Prime Minister under pressure from backbench to legislate aluminium renewable target exemption
Prime Minister Tony Abbott is under pressure from his backbench to introduce legislation making aluminium smelting exempt from the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The aluminium industry has successfully lobbied the Coalition to grant its smelters an exemption from the RET. Labor agreed to support it...
Australian anode manufacturing foundry sets up solar power unit; saves 25% power
Cathodic Anodes Australasia, a manufacturing company at Kunda Park has recently installed a 320-panel solar power plant saving the business 25% on energy bills, says general manager Ross Gorfine. The company manufactures products made up of aluminium and zinc for rust and corrosion protection which...
Romanian aluminum producer Alro Slatina widens losses in 2014
Romanian aluminum producer Alro ended 2014 with adjusted net losses of RON 141 million (EUR 31.7 million). The losses were 64% higher compared to 2013, according to the company’s preliminary results. The company’s turnover registered a slight year-on-year increase in 2014, to RON 2 billion (EUR 450...
China authority to tackle overcapacity in aluminum industry
China’s Ministry of Industry & Information Technology (MIIT) is mulling over plans to tackle chronic overcapacity in the country’s aluminum industry, Shanghai Metals Market has learned. Measures under consideration include: greater scrutiny of projects under construction; strict control over...
Open Energi joins Aluminium Federation
The Aluminium Federation (ALFED), the body that represents the UK aluminium sector, has welcomed Open Energi as a member. UK company Open Energi, which has offices in London and Manchester, has developed an energy demand response management product, which enables heavy electricity users, including...
Indonesian Inalum smelter might cutback production diverting power to main grid
Indonesia’s only aluminium smelter, PT Inalum is planning to cut back their production to 202,000 tons whereas they have a capacity of 250,000 tons because they need to divert some of their power for public use. An official from the firm who did not wish to be named said that nearly 210 megawatts...
Hydro has decided to invest in technology pilot in Karmøy
Hydro has made a formal investment decision to develop a full scale pilot plant in Karmøy to demonstrate the world's most energy and climate efficient aluminium production. A final build decision for the project, with total costs estimated at NOK 3.9 billion, is conditioned on Hydro securing a...
Alcoa converts San Ciprian Alumina Refinery to natural gas, improving global competitiveness
The Alcoa alumina refinery in San Ciprian (Lugo, Spain) today officially transitioned from fuel oil to natural gas following the completion of a new gas pipeline. The US$25 million investment to convert the refinery to natural gas is consistent with the Company’s strategy to create a lower cost,...
EGA introduces new technologies to improve production and optimize power consumption
EGA owned Jebel Ali smelter is introducing new technologies to its existing potlines to enhance the production of aluminium. A groundbreaking ceremony held at EGA Jebel Ali on Thursday, February 5, 2015 marks the official start of the project that aims to achieve higher energy efficiency targets...
Norsk Hydro: Enova support for Hydro's technology pilot approved by ESA
The EFTA (European Free Trade Association) Surveillance Authority has approved funding of NOK 1.5 billion from Enova for Hydro to test the world's most energy- and climate-efficient aluminium production in a full-scale pilot plant at Karmøy, Norway. Enova's support has been one of the prerequisites...
European Aluminium Association meets with Vice-President Šefcovic to discuss a fit-for-purpose Energy Union for Europe
A delegation from the European aluminium industry today met with European Commission Vice-President for the Energy Union, Maroš Šefcovic. Following the high-level discussions, EAA Director-General Gerd Götz issues the following statement: “To meet fast-growing demand for aluminium in key end-use...
Hydro and SGL Group to develop next generation cathode technology
Hydro and SGL Group have launched a three-year project aiming to tap further energy saving potentials in the primary aluminum production process. Building on each other’s technological strengths and know-how, the companies are joining forces to develop a new cathodic solution for this purpose. •...
ICRA suggests aluminium producers to focus on the export market
The ICRA declared that to ensure healthy capacity utilization of the newly commissioned greenfield projects, primary producers will need to focus on the export markets. The energy costs remain a key factor in the primary aluminium production and since the Supreme Court de-allocated some of the coal...
Bell Bay Aluminium power price hikes 'may cost jobs'
One of Tasmania's biggest electricity consumers has warned the State Government that rising electricity costs are threatening its viability. In a submission to a Senate committee looking at electricity companies, Bell Bay Aluminium noted there had been a 200% increase in transmission charges over...
