This is an exciting time indeed for aluminium consumption, with demand for this highly versatile metal continuing to rise to dizzying heights with every new estimate. Among the brighter stars in the consumption constellation continues to be that of electric vehicles. As has been detailed in these pages over the years, the rise of the […]
One of the aluminium industry’s major goals continues to be the production of metal in a manner that emits the smallest carbon footprint possible. Man-made climate change has become an ever more critical issue, and many of the major players in the global aluminium industry have taken the initiative and made great strides in limiting […]
2018 was a turbulent year for both the alumina market and the price, signified by the fact that spot price indexes remained above historic averages for most of the year. 2019, however, has brought calm and stability. The alumina price (both spot and fob) has been trading in the range of US$ 390/t and US$ […]
Base metals traded at LME have enjoyed their best quarterly performance in Q1 since 2009. The LMEX index rose by 9.1% for the period, while prices of all metals gained, with the exception of lead whose price remained unchanged. The best performer was nickel, soaring by over 21%. As so often, the main contributor to […]
After Venezuela’s energy supply failed on March 8th, the directors of the CVG together with the presidents of each company decided to shut down Venalum and Alcasa. With a joint installed capacity of 600 thousand tons of primary aluminium per year, both sites were already operating at less than 15% of their capacity, due to […]
After a year marked by deep regression and economic paralysis, Venezuela has decided to revive its lagging economy by resurrecting a rescue plan for the country’s aluminum industry…that failed to deliver positive results in 2018. The companies that make up the Corporación Venezolana de Guayana (CVG) closed 2018 in the red, reporting declining production values […]
Poland, one of the biggest economies in Central Europe, is also home to one of the fastest developing aluminium markets in the region. The country’s aluminium consumption grew by about 10 percent in 2018, reaching 1.43 million tons. According to information published by “Nowa Stal” Magazine, the driving force behind this growth came from secondary […]
A consistent spike in coal costs has roiled India’s aluminium producers. If a spate of imports of fake semis and a clutch of value added products weren’t enough, smelters are unnerved by spiralling coal prices. Their worries are justified by the contribution of coal to the cost of aluminium smelting – power costs account for […]
Mounting concerns over the trade war between the US and China have sent jitters across global financial and commodity markets. The imposition of billions of dollars worth of tariffs by Washington on Beijing, followed by the knee-jerk retaliation by the Middle Kingdom have sent metals markets into a tizzy. Repercussions of the US-China tussle have […]
With China gearing up for the lunar new year, the good news is that the air quality has improved significantly this winter, many calling this the “brightest” winter in the last five years. Although the favorable weather has played a part, the central government should definitely be given more credit for its environmental campaign. As […]
As mentioned in the first part of this series, three main policies will remain in force this winter. We have already shown that the policy of shutting down illegal production capacity is strictly implemented. So far, the vast majority of illegal production have been closed or halted. The same trend is visible in the implementation […]
Global warming remains one of the leading critical global issues – emphasised in the last Paris accord and this month’s COP23 summit in Bonn. The carbon equivalent (CE), as a measure of how much CO2 is produced by any activity, is now accepted as a crucial major index of environmental performance, not least for the […]
Good news for aluminium technology? Given that the automotive and aviation sectors both remain major markets for aluminium technologies worldwide, any development that spans both – such as flying cars – is worthy of note. Although cars that fly, or alternatively road-able aircraft and hovercars, have for years featured prominently in fantasy and science fiction […]
‘Sustainability’ now interfaces with business on a number of fronts, including operational performance, regulatory compliance, commercial relationships and broader reputation. Governments, leading companies, NGOs and consumers are increasingly focused on how companies should approach sustainability issues in their own businesses and supply chains. Increasingly, business approaches need to be closely integrated with broader regulatory frameworks […]
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