US imported 11.5x more primary aluminium from Canada than it exported in semi-fabricated form in H1 2026 - know why
At the US-Canada border, aluminium is constantly on the move, but the direction of trade is far from balanced. In the first six months of 2026, the US imported 907,581.44 tonnes of primary aluminium from Canada, while exporting only 78,886.12 tonnes of semi-fabricated aluminium products such as...
Australian bauxite forecast at $39/t vs Guinea at $34-46/t: How ore quality, freight and oversupply are shaping prices
What happens when the world’s biggest bauxite supplier produces too much of the one commodity it dominates? Guinea’s bauxite market is offering a striking answer. Record exports have strengthened its position in global trade, but the surge in supply has also pushed prices lower. Australia,...
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Rio Tinto Alcan announces the closure of its aluminum smelter in Quebec by November end
Rio Tinto's Alcan division said on Wednesday it will shut down its aluminum smelter in Shawinigan, Quebec, by the end of November. The company said it will immediately shut down 50,000 tonnes of production and take the remaining 50,000 tonnes of capacity offline by the end of November. Some 425...
Gove employees kept in the dark about new gas supply offer
Pacific Aluminium knew early last month about the new gas supply offer - and didn't tell its workers. The company acted as though surprised and disappointed by Chief Minister Adam Giles' announcement of a dual fuel plan on Friday. It did not mention any uncertainty over gas in its community...
Fed Govt has new gas pipeline plans for Gove Refinery
While residents at Nhulunbuy are fearing for their future after Chief Minister Adam Giles announced the Northern Territory government would retreated from an agreement to provide gas to help save Gove’s Rio Tinto alumina refinery, businesses in the Katherine region are worried about the economic...
Rio Tinto agrees sale of interest in Northparkes
Rio Tinto has reached a binding agreement for the sale of its 80 per cent interest in Northparkes to China Molybdenum Co., Ltd. (CMOC) for US$820 million. Rio Tinto chief financial officer Chris Lynch said "The sale of Northparkes represents great value for our shareholders and demonstrates our...
Trimet to acquire two Rio Tinto Aluminum plants
The German aluminum producer Trimet has agreed to acquire two of Rio Tinto’s aluminum plants in France. The plants had become high-cost producers, and Rio Tinto had been seeking to sell the facilities as a way to reduce its overall costs. The two facilities are located in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne...
Meridian Energy sale likely to take place in the next 10 weeks
According to the Government's privatisation timetable, the sale of 49 per cent of Meridian Energy will occur some time in the next 10 weeks. However, for that to happen, there must first be a resolution of Meridian's big problem with its biggest customer, the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, owned by...
Northern Territory Government wants new gas supply deal for Gove refinery
The Northern Territory Government has reneged on a proposed deal to supply gas to Rio Tinto's Gove alumina refinery. Earlier this year, the Government offered 300 petajoules of gas over 10 years from its domestic supply source to save the refinery, operated by Rio subsidiary Pacific Aluminium. Rio...
Rio Tinto Alcan: 2013 production figures vastly improved on previous year
Figures released by the Strategic Resource Institute show that Rio Tinto Alcan has increased production of bauxite, alumina and aluminium for Q2 2013 when compared to the same period last year. Bauxite production was up by 21%, alumina production up by 15% and aluminium production also up by 15%....
The future of the gas to Gove pipeline may once again be in doubt
The future of the gas to Gove pipeline may once again be in doubt as nobody wants to pay for its construction. The NT Government gave up a decade's worth of cheap public gas to mining giant Rio Tinto in February after the company threatened to shut the Gove alumina refinery and sack 800 people. But...
Rio Tinto Alcan’s production up thanks to Yarwun demand
RIO Tinto Alcan has boosted bauxite production by 21% in the second quarter of the year, compared to the same quarter in 2012. Strong operational performance has driven higher volumes at Weipa, as bauxite requirements from the expanded Yarwun refinery at Gladstone increased, along with third party...
Rio Tinto’s aluminium production up by 7% in H1, 2013
Despite landslides, equipment breakdown and wet weather, London-based mining giant Rio Tinto has been blessed with good news in the shape of increased output, not only from iron ore, but also aluminium in H1 2013. According to CEO Sam Walsh, who took over from Tom Albanese at the beginning of the...
Rio Tinto staff discover endangered northern quolls at Cape York bauxite mine
RIO Tinto's bauxite mining operations in and around Weipa on Cape York appear to have uncovered a biological hot spot, with staff discovering a third rare species. A total of 24 endangered northern quolls have been found in a 3500ha block at the mine lease, which covers 3860sq km. It's an important...
TRIMET interested to buy aluminum smelter & casting facility in France
German aluminum producer TRIMET is interested to purchase St. Jean-de-Maurienne aluminum smelter and Castelsarrasin casting facility in France, which are both owned by Rio Tinto Alcan. This was confirmed by Jacynthe Côté, CEO of Rio Tinto Alcan, who said they received a binding offer from TRIMET....
Endangered northern quolls found on Rio’s Cape York bauxite mine
Rio Tinto’s bauxite mining staff have discovered a rare quoll population at its operations located around Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula. A total of 24 endangered northern quolls have been counted on a 3500ha block of Rio’s mining lease which covers 3860 square kilometres, news.com.au reports. A...
Rio under market pressure to cut aluminium production
Australia's high-cost aluminium production is in the firing line amid sliding prices, with global giant Alcoa confirming its Victorian smelters are prime targets for capacity closures and Rio Tinto being urged to cut production from local assets. Alcoa, which kicked off the US reporting season with...
Aluminium sector urged to unite
A consultant's report has called on aluminium producers, including BHP Billiton Ltd and Rio Tinto Ltd, to cut capacity in a bid to end the sector's prolonged stretch of limited profitability, according to The Australian Financial Review. The report's co-author, Boston Consulting Group's global...
Rio’s French smelter at Dunkirk under threat without new power deal
Rio Tinto’s endeavors to keep open one of its French smelters raises questions not just about the viability of this particular plant but aluminum smelting in Europe in general. The smelter in question, according to Reuters, serves as the largest aluminum plant in the European Union with 2012...
EDF might take stake in French Rio Tinto aluminum plant
French utility EDF could take a stake of up to 40 percent in Rio Tinto's Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne aluminum plants in exchange for agreeing a discount on the electricity it supplies, financial daily Les Echos reported. Rio Tinto is negotiating with Germany's Trimet Aluminium AG over a sale of the...
