Jamaica
RUSAL seeks buyers for Windalco after 1.57 Mt of bauxite, 396,000 tonnes of alumina output
Russia-based aluminium producer RUSAL is exploring a potential sale of its Windalco bauxite and alumina operations in Jamaica, signalling a possible reshaping of its Caribbean footprint. The reported move also extends to its bauxite interests in Guyana, although both potential transactions remain at an early stage and may not ultimately proceed. Windalco becomes part of RUSAL’s potential asset reshuffle Windalco comprises the Ewarton alumina refinery in St Catherine, bauxite mines and the Port Esquivel shipping terminal. According to RUSAL’s 2025 annual report, the Jamaican operation produced 1.565 million tonnes of bauxite and 396,000 tonnes of alumina in 2025. The alumina output represented less than 6 per cent of RUSAL’s total alumina production of 6.858 million tonnes during the year....
18 Jamaican students return from Russia with engineering degrees, ready for mining careers
Eighteen Jamaican students have returned home after completing engineering degrees in Russia, bringing new technical skills back to the country’s bauxite and mining sector. The students completed their engineering programmes at Siberian Federal University in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, under a fully funded international scholarship programme backed by UC RUSAL Alumina Jamaica Ltd./WINDALCO. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: "Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook" The latest cohort was awarded the scholarships in November 2021. After completing their studies, the graduates returned to Jamaica in August and have since taken up roles with the bauxite and mining company. The new...
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15th International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Conference & Exhibition - IBAAS–VFMSTA 2026
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15th International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Conference & Exhibition - IBAAS–VFMSTA 2026
ALUMINIUM Arabia 2026
ICSOBA 2026 - 44th International Conference and Exhibition
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News
Jamaican bauxite takes a Louisiana route to Ghana’s aluminium industry in proposed $60m deal
Ghana is looking to Jamaica for a solution to one of the biggest gaps in its aluminium value chain: alumina supply. The two countries are negotiating a proposed USD 60 million arrangement that would see Jamaican bauxite processed at a refinery in Louisiana and the resulting alumina shipped to Ghana for aluminium production. The plan could give Ghana an additional source of alumina as it works to develop an integrated aluminium industry, while giving Jamaica a renewed role in a bauxite-alumina relationship that dates back decades. Jamaican bauxite could be processed in Louisiana Under the proposed arrangement, bauxite from Jamaica would be shipped to the Atlantic Alumina Company (ATALCO) refinery in Gramercy, Louisiana, for processing into alumina. The alumina would then be exported to...
US bauxite imports fall 15.8% from Q3 2024 to Q1 2026
US imports of bauxite declined to 644,000 tonnes in Q1 2026, down 15.8 per cent from 765,000 tonnes in Q3 2024. The decline reflects longer-term pressure on the US primary aluminium and alumina industries, including reduced refining capacity and weaker demand for imported raw materials. Trade uncertainty and the increasing use of recycled aluminium have added to the changes reshaping the country’s bauxite supply chain. Despite remaining below the level recorded in Q3 2024, Q1 2026 imports increased 7.9 per cent from 597,000 tonnes in Q4 2025. On a year-on-year basis, however, imports were down 17.9 per cent from 784,000 tonnes in Q1 2025. The value of US bauxite imports stood at USD 38 million in Q1 2026, compared with USD 50 million in Q3 2024 and USD 46 million in Q1 2025. This...
Jamaica projects 24% rise in bauxite and alumina export earnings despite weak Q1 output
Jamaica’s bauxite and alumina export earnings are expected to improve in 2026, even though the first quarter was weak. The government expects production to rise as repairs continue after Hurricane Melissa, and the aluminium industry is watching closely because bauxite is the raw material used to make alumina for aluminium smelting. According to the Jamaican Government's annual Form 18-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), export earnings from bauxite and alumina are projected to rise 24 per cent to USD 760 million in 2026 from USD 612.3 million in 2025. Even if achieved, earnings would remain below the USD 803.4 million recorded in 2024. The recovery is coming after a tough 2025, when Jamaica’s bauxite and alumina earnings fell 23.8 per cent, or USD 191.1 million,...
Jamaica's Alpart alumina refinery set for phased modernisation under JISCO plan
Jamaica's Minister of Agriculture, Floyd Green, has announced that the reopening and modernisation of the Alpart alumina refinery has moved a step forward following meetings with officials of JISCO and the Government of Gansu Province during his recent visit to China. Speaking in Parliament, Green said JISCO has confirmed its plans to carry out a two-phase modernisation programme to bring the refinery back into operation and upgrade it into a modern alumina production facility. The first phase of the project will involve an investment of about USD 490 million. Planned work includes upgrading major processing units, improving plant infrastructure, modernising the power generation system, introducing dry-stacking technology for bauxite residue management, and rehabilitating rail and port...
Can Jamaica seize the moment? JBI pushes bauxite growth amid Guinea uncertainty
The Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) has renewed its call for citizens to avoid occupying bauxite-bearing lands, highlighting growing concerns over unauthorised settlements on areas designated for mining, agriculture and future development projects. The statement may bear a twofold significance: The urgency to pick up production pace to mitigate the output decline post-Hurricane Melissa in October 2025 An opportunity to deepen Jamaica’s footprint in the bauxite industry just as speculations stir the market about Guinea’s updated bauxite export restriction cap tightened at 150 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) According to the Institute, bauxite lands play a crucial role in supporting agricultural activities before and after mining operations, requiring long-term planning and infrastructure...
From mines to markets: How geopolitics and raw material pressures are transforming aluminium supply chains
The global aluminium industry is entering a phase where the biggest concern is no longer just building more smelters or expanding downstream demand. Across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, the focus is increasingly shifting toward securing stable supplies of bauxite and alumina as geopolitical tensions, trade measures and energy disruptions continue reshaping global supply chains. Governments are accelerating mining investments, producers are expanding refining and smelting capacity, and buyers are searching for safer and more reliable trade routes. From Indonesia’s raw material ambitions to China’s export surge and Europe’s tariff safeguards, the aluminium value chain is being redrawn in real time. The raw material race Indonesia has become central to the global aluminium...
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