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, Japan set Q1 aluminium deals at $240/T premium
Japanese buyers have agreed an aluminium premium of $240 per tonne with Rio Tinto Alcan for some January-March shipments, down from a record $254 to $255 in the previous quarter, three sources directly involved in the talks said on Wednesday. Rio Tinto Alcan offered premiums of $240 last month. The...
Kimberley bauxite plan looks a stretch
Premier Colin Barnett has told Rio Tinto and Alcoa that "they're dreaming" about developing a massive bauxite deposit in the remote Kimberley, and flagged the possible return of the resource to taxpayers. The global giants want a two to three-year extension and an associated State Agreement over...
Government concerns over Gove alumina refinery
The Northern Territory Government hopes a decision will be made this week on a plan to help save a Rio Tinto alumina refinery on the Gove peninsula in remote north-east Arnhem Land. The Territory's Chief Minister says any closure of the refinery could devastate the nearby mining town of Nhulunbuy,...
Canadian agency to grant Hindalco $100 mn for new project
Aditya Birla Group company Hindalco will receive $100 million in financing from Export Development Canada or EDC, the country’s export credit agency, for its Mahan Aluminium Project in Madhya Pradesh. The agreement, signed a few days ago, will support the supply of technology and capital equipment...
No quick resolution of power supply deal for Tiwai Point aluminium smelter
Meridian Energy and Rio Tinto will resume talks before Christmas about supplying power to the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter in Southland, but there is no sign that a deal is just around the corner. Rio Tinto has said that the smelter, which employs about 600 people, could close if it cannot get...
Smelter talks resume between Meridian Energy and Rio Tinto
New Zealand's largest electricity producer, Meridian Energy, has resumed talks with Rio Tinto Alcan, the majority owner of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, over Rio's request for changes to 18-year contracts for power supply that kick in on January 1. Meridian chief executive Mark Binns told the...
Future of Tiwai Point aluminium smelter still uncertain
It is unclear if Rio Tinto‘s US$5 billion cost cuts globally will affect the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter near Bluff. This week Rio Tinto announced at an investor seminar that it would make the cuts to its operating and support costs by the end of 2014. The global miner said its coal and aluminium...
Rio Tinto expects its large asset sale to generate strong proceeds
Global miner Rio Tinto said it expects the sale of assets it no longer wants, such as its Pacific Aluminium and diamonds businesses, to generate strong proceeds over the next year or more. It has already generated $12 billion (£7.5 billion) from the sale of more than 20 assets since 2008 and said...
New Zealand's October trade deficit much higher than forecast
Weaker-than-expected exports, including lower shipments of aluminium and falling exports of dairy and meat, pushed New Zealand's October trade deficit much higher than forecast. The October deficit was $718 million, compared with expectations of a deficit of about $450 million. New Zealand...
Rio Tinto Alcan offers $240/mt plus LME for Q1 aluminum to Japan
Global resources major Rio Tinto Alcan has offered a premium of $240/mt plus London Metal Exchange cash CIF Japan for shipments of primary aluminum to Japan in the first quarter of 2013, local market sources said Tuesday. The premium is for supplies of primary aluminum shipped from the Rio Tinto...
Rio Tinto to undergo cost cutting in coal and aluminium operations
Global miner Rio Tinto said its coal and aluminium operations would bear the brunt of $5 billion in targeted cost cuts over the next two years. Rio, in an investor update, said it was aiming to cut more than $5 billion of operating and support costs by the end of 2014, and would cut spending on...
Alcan seeks Q1 premium of $240/T from Japan buyers
Rio Tinto Alcan has written to Japanese buyers asking them to pay a premium of $240 per tonne over the LME cash price for January-March primary aluminium shipments, a source directly involved in the talks said on Monday. That compares with average premiums of $254 to $255 a tonne , a record high,...
Rio Tinto releases draft Commonwealth EIS for South of Embley Project
Rio Tinto Alcan today released the draft Commonwealth Environmental Impact Statement for the South of Embley Project. Rio Tinto Alcan president and chief executive officer, Bauxite and Alumina, Pat Fiore said the project will extend bauxite mining operations on an area of the company's existing...
Alcoa to consider buying BHP and Rio Tinto Aluminum assets
Alcoa Inc. (AA), the largest U.S. aluminum producer, may buy some assets used to make the metal from BHP (BHP) Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group as it expects demand to grow about 6.5 percent a year for the next decade. “We’re having a look if they’ve got assets that they want to divest,” Alcoa of...
Reef approval delays bauxite project a year
First bauxite from Rio Tinto's $1.4 billion South of Embley project near Weipa has been delayed by a year after federal Environment Minister Tony Burke sent the approvals process back to square one because of concerns over shipping through the Great Barrier Reef. Rio will release its environmental...
Rio Tinto Alcan to increase its contribution to the Regional Aluminium Transformation Fund
Rio Tinto Alcan is increasing its contribution to the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Regional Aluminium Transformation Fund by 275,000 dollars. The Fund aims to stimulate and strengthen competitiveness among regional aluminium transformation companies. The Rio Tinto Alcan contribution now totals...
Metallurgical engineering research hub established at Queensland University
Queensland's future in bauxite and alumina processing has been strengthened thanks to a partnership between The University of Queensland (UQ) and Rio Tinto Alcan, one of the world's leading bauxite and alumina producers. UQ today announced the establishment of the UQ RTA Bauxite and Alumina...
Mayor urging Govt interference over Southland smelter
Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt is urging the Government to intervene in negotiations between New Zealand Aluminium Smelters and state-owned Meridian Energy. The Rio Tinto-owned smelter at Tiwai Point has already announced it is cutting 100 jobs to try to save money and has said renegotiating its...
