Alumina Import
Alumina turns to net exports in August; net export pattern expected to widen further in September
I. Total volume: Monthly pattern shifts from net import to net export According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs of China, from January to August 2026, China's cumulative alumina imports reached 2.994 million tonnes, up more than fivefold year-on-year; cumulative exports totalled 2.339 million tonnes, up about 33 per cent year-on-year; cumulative net imports stood at 654,000 tonnes, narrowing from 729,000 tonnes in January–July. Although the net import pattern persists, the scale of net imports has continued to shrink, further easing the impact of imports on the domestic market. On a monthly basis, China imported 349,500 tonnes of alumina and exported 425,000 tonnes in August, resulting in net exports of 75,500 tonnes — the first shift from net imports to net...
Hindalco partners with Metalshub to launch digital alumina spot tenders
Hindalco Industries has partnered with Germany-based digital marketplace Metalshub to introduce a structured online bidding process for spot sales of metallurgical-grade alumina, with the first tender expected between October and December 2026. The initiative aims to bring greater competition and transaction-based price discovery to a segment of the alumina market where most volumes are traditionally traded through long-term contracts. Under the new process, qualified buyers will be able to participate in confidential digital request-for-bid events, allowing multiple bidders to compete for available spot alumina volumes. Metalshub said the approach will generate transaction data from competitive bidding, potentially providing a more transparent reference for spot-market pricing. Digital...
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Guinea looks beyond bauxite as Glencore partnership expands into alumina and energy
Guinea is looking to expand its partnership with Glencore beyond bauxite exports, with the two sides discussing potential investments in alumina refining, energy and other strategic projects as Conakry seeks to build more processing capacity at home. The discussions follow a more than USD 300 million bauxite pre-financing and offtake agreement signed last week between state-owned Nimba Mining and Glencore. Under the deal, the Swiss commodities group will market 10–12 million tonnes of bauxite annually for five years, giving it a significant position in one of the world's largest bauxite-producing countries. Guinea's Mines Minister Bouna Sylla said the agreement could provide a foundation for a broader partnership across the country's aluminium value chain. "Glencore has indicated strong...
From black shale to smelter feed: CEM advances North American alumina supply chain
Canadian Energy Metals has demonstrated a process for producing smelter-grade alumina from Saskatchewan black shale and has started a prefeasibility study for its Thor Project. Canadian Energy Metals Corp. (CEM) has taken a step towards developing an alternative North American source of alumina after demonstrating that material derived from its Saskatchewan black shale resource can be converted into smelter-grade alumina (SGA). The company said testing has consistently produced SGA samples meeting the same purity and specifications as alumina made through the Bayer Process, the established industry route for refining bauxite. The result expands the potential development pathway for CEM's Thor Project, where the company is pursuing alumina alongside strategic and critical metals from black...
Impact Minerals plans staged 4,000-tpa HPA production in US
A NewPro study supports a staged 2,000-to-4,000-tonne-per-year high-purity alumina plant on the US Gulf Coast, with a post-tax NPV of about USD373 million and a 42.3 per cent IRR. Impact Minerals is advancing plans for a modular high-purity alumina (HPA) plant in the US after an independent scoping study identified a preferred development case on the Gulf Coast. The study, completed by NewPro for Impact's 50 per cent-owned Alluminous Pty Ltd, supports a staged facility starting at 2,000 tonnes per year of HPA and scaling to 4,000 tonnes per year. It models a post-tax NPV₈ of AUD 518 million (USD 373 million) and an internal rate of return of 42.3 per cent, based on an AUD/USD rate of about 0.7206 on September 7, 2026. The findings strengthen Alluminous' plan to establish its first...
Ireland withholds Aughinish Alumina meeting notes amid Russia export review
Ireland’s Department of Enterprise has withheld the release records of discussions between its secretary general and Aughinish Alumina management, citing “highly confidential information” shared by the company. The decision comes as scrutiny intensifies over the Limerick refinery’s alumina exports to feed the Russian defence sector and a possible inclusion of alumina shipments in the European Union’s (EU) 21st Sanctions Package on Russia. Department of Enterprise Secretary General Declan Hughes and Aughinish Alumina Managing Director Ciaran Kelleher held several discussions in June and July, including a meeting on June 12 and three recorded phone calls. The discussions took place while Irish officials were finalising a review into Aughinish Alumina’s exports to Russia. The investigation...
Alcoa files SEC registration for $5.6b South32 alumina, aluminium and bauxite asset deal
Alcoa has moved its proposed acquisition of South32's bauxite, alumina and aluminium interests forward with a US SEC filing, with the transaction carrying an implied enterprise value of up to USD 5.6 billion. Alcoa Corporation has filed a Form S-4 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in connection with its proposed acquisition of South32 Limited's interests across the bauxite, alumina and aluminium value chain. Under the transaction agreed on June 30, 2026, Alcoa will pay South32 USD 3.1 billion in upfront cash and about USD 1.0 billion in Alcoa shares, while also assuming around USD 750 million in net debt and lease liabilities. A further USD 750 million in contingent cash consideration could become payable depending on alumina and aluminium prices...
Indonesia sees aluminium opportunity in Middle East supply crisis, but coal is powering the race
CREA estimates that Chinese investment in Indonesia's aluminium industry currently stands at between USD 5.5 billion and USD 6 billion, and forecasts that figure could rise to USD 30 billion by 2030. China currently produces around 60 per cent of the world's aluminium. Chinese companies began expanding into countries such as Indonesia after Beijing imposed a domestic cap on aluminium production in 2017 as part of efforts to address overcapacity. Putra Adhiguna of Jakarta-based Energy Shift Institute said Indonesia's relatively fewer restrictions have helped attract investment. The expansion also benefits from Indonesia's classification of aluminium and nickel as “transition minerals”, given their use in technologies such as electric vehicles and solar panels. But that classification has...
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