Alumina Refinery
Australia’s alumina exports fall 9.46% despite China’s 19-fold import surge, with shipments to Indonesia & Oman also rising
Australia, one of the world’s major alumina production and export hubs, witnessed a significant shift in its trade flows in the first half (H1) of 2026. Although the country’s total alumina exports declined, shipments to China surged nearly 19-fold, making it Australia’s one of the largest export destinations. Meanwhile, exports to the UAE and South Africa fell, while Indonesia and Oman recorded increases. Australia exported 6.7 million tonnes of alumina worldwide in H1 2026, down 9.46 per cent from 7.4 million tonnes in H1 2025. Compared with 7.5 million tonnes in H1 2024, exports declined by 800,000 tonnes, or 10.67 per cent, over two years. The contrasting performance across major destinations highlights how Middle East shipping disruptions, changes in aluminium production requirements...
Potline and rolling mill uptime: The electrical layer behind the price
A rolling-mill drive can trip even when its encoder passes a bench test. A refinery instrument can report erratic readings with no obvious process upset. Engineers may suspect the devices first, but the installed cables, mating interfaces and routing deserve the same scrutiny. Intermittent faults sometimes disappear the moment an assembly is touched. That uncertainty has an economic cost: investigation consumes maintenance time, and a missed control signal may delay equipment availability. This article concerns sensor, instrumentation, encoder, fieldbus and appropriately rated low-power auxiliary interfaces, typically carrying signals or modest loads—not power feeders. Main motor circuits, plant distribution, rectifier outputs and potline busbars are outside its scope. No connector type...
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15th International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Conference & Exhibition - IBAAS–VFMSTA 2026
ICSOBA 2026 - 44th International Conference and Exhibition
India Mining Week 2026
15th International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Conference & Exhibition - IBAAS–VFMSTA 2026
ICSOBA 2026 - 44th International Conference and Exhibition
India Mining Week 2026
Business Cards
A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
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A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
LEARN MOREA should-cost analysis of an aluminium tower furnace in India: Comparing the economics of LPG, PNG, and electric energy sources
Germany’s construction aluminium demand falls 12%, but 2027 recovery and recycling offer fresh growth prospects
AL Circle analysis: Germany’s aluminium trade surplus, Novelis’ US expansion, Asia’s EV demand & India’s underutilised downstream capacity
AL Circle Analysis: From Guinea to Gulf, how bauxite, tariffs and logistics redraw aluminium map
India’s bauxite imports jump 129.5% in H1 2026: Quality gap, refinery expansion outpace 25Mt domestic output
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Cameroon to hold October hearings on proposed $2b alumina refinery
Public hearings on Camalco Cameroon’s proposed alumina refinery are scheduled for October 12–17, 2026. The company is a subsidiary of Australia-registered Canyon Resources. The hearings will examine the project's environmental and social impact assessment. The refinery is linked to the Minim-Martap bauxite deposit in the Adamawa Region. The Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED) announced the hearings in a public notice. Meetings will take place in Ngaoundéré and Martap, with mobile teams visiting nearby communities. Residents will be able to review the assessment report and comment on the project's potential environmental and social effects. The hearings are part of the review process. They do not amount to a construction permit or a final...
India’s bauxite imports jump 129.5% in H1 2026: Quality gap, refinery expansion outpace 25Mt domestic output
India is producing around 25 million tonnes of bauxite a year, has 4.958 billion tonnes of bauxite resources, and currently produces around 9.5 million tonnes of alumina annually. Yet instead of declining, the country's bauxite imports have been rising. India’s bauxite imports reached 3.70 million tonnes in H1 2026, more than twice the 1.612 million tonnes recorded in H1 2025. The increase of 2.088 million tonnes, or 129.5 per cent, has brought a key question into focus: why are imports rising when domestic bauxite production appears sufficient for current alumina output? The answer becomes clearer when India's bauxite supply is viewed alongside ore quality, refinery requirements, mine development and the rapid expansion of alumina capacity. India’s bauxite production has recovered...
Hindalco’s digital alumina tender tests a new route to price discovery
With only 10 per cent of globally traded alumina changing hands on the spot market, Hindalco is moving its tenders online in an effort to strengthen the evidence behind benchmark prices. For a commodity market where a relatively small number of transactions can influence prices across a much larger pool of long-term contracts, the quality of the underlying data matters. That is the challenge facing alumina, and Hindalco is now testing whether digital trading infrastructure can help address it. Hindalco is expected to conduct its first digital tender for metallurgical-grade alumina on Metalshub before the end of 2026. The physical cargo sold through the tender may be only part of the significance of the transaction. The more important outcome could be the structured market data generated...
Civmec adds A$220m in contracts, expands work with Alcoa at Wagerup refinery
Civmec Limited has secured new contracts and extensions worth more than AUD 220 million (USD 153 million), including a construction contract for a gallium production plant at Alcoa’s Wagerup Alumina Refinery in Western Australia. The contracts are expected to be delivered across FY27 and FY28. The awards take Civmec’s order book to about AUD 1.5 billion (USD 1 billion). Civmec to build gallium plant at Wagerup Civmec will build the gallium production plant at Alcoa’s Wagerup Alumina Refinery. The project received a final investment decision in July 2026. Construction started in August following a groundbreaking ceremony. Civmec will carry out civil, structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation works for the plant. The work also includes the process building, tanks,...
Hindalco ends $125 million AluChem deal after prolonged closing delays
Hindalco Industries has terminated its proposed USD 125 million acquisition of US-based speciality alumina producer AluChem Companies after extended delays in closing the transaction. The decision ends a deal announced in June 2025, although Hindalco says its speciality alumina expansion strategy remains firmly in place. Hindalco Industries has called off its proposed acquisition of AluChem Companies Inc., bringing an end to its planned USD 125 million entry into the US-based speciality alumina producer. The Aditya Birla Group's metals flagship and AluChem have jointly decided to terminate the Equity Purchase Agreement (EPA) following prolonged delays in completing the transaction. According to Hindalco's regulatory filing, the delays were beyond the control of either party. "The proposed...
Aughinish Alumina seeks support as EU reviews Russia-bound alumina exports
Aughinish Alumina has stepped up its engagement with Irish government representatives and officials as the European Commission considers further measures that could affect alumina exports from its Co Limerick facility to Russia. The increased engagement comes ahead of the next round of EU measures, with some member states expected to seek restrictions on Irish alumina exports to Russia. The European Commission is aiming to implement the measures before winter. Aughinish’s exports have come under increased attention following reports of shipments from the plant to Russian smelters. The resulting aluminium is sold to a company that supplies more than 100 Russian manufacturing companies, according to various industry sources. The latest trade data underlines the scale of the shipments. A...
Interviews
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Rod MacGregor
Technically, solar heat could replace 100% of the fuel used in alumina refinery
Dr. Ashok Nandi
AL Circle x Dr Ashok Nandi: With the deteriorating domestic and imported bauxite quality, alumina refineries are slowly adopting the lower-grade ores for survival
Patrice L’HUILLIER
AL Circle x Patrice L’HUILLIER from Nimba Mining: "We are targeting China and India, which are the major bauxite consumers for alumina production”
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