January 7, 2012

Alba hits record metal production in 2011

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the world's largest aluminium smelters, said it has achieved the highest metal production in its 40-year history in 2011 with 881,310 metric tonnes, a substantial…

January 1, 2012

Rio Tinto Alcan adjusts production at its Alma smelter after initiating lockout

Rio Tinto Alcan will begin an orderly shutdown of approximately one-third of its production at its 438,000 tonne Alma smelter in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec after initiating a lockout at the facility…

December 21, 2011

Kobe Steel to set up JV with Chinese aluminium firm

The JV will build an aluminium products company that will have annual production of about 200,000 tonnes of products, the companies said Wednesday.

December 18, 2011

Shenhua invests $21b to produce alumina from coal ash

China Shenhua Group, the country's largest coal producer, on Sunday kicked off construction on a project capable of producing alumina from coal ash, a waste byproduct of thermal power generation.

December 16, 2011

Power cut hits Rio-owned UK aluminium smelter

One of the production lines at Rio Tinto Alcan's Lynemouth aluminium smelter was knocked off line by a power cut, while production was partially curtailed at the other.

December 11, 2011

Mr Putin intervenes to save jobs at aluminum smelter

Reuters reported that Mr Vladimir Putin PM of Russia facing a wave of voter outrage as he prepares a bid to return to the Kremlin intervened to prevent an archaic…

December 8, 2011

Week after flagging diamond division sale, BHP says likely no new investment in aluminum and nickel arms

Finance News Network reports BHP Billiton's CEO Marius Kloppers says the miner will likely stop investing in its "tough" aluminium and nickel divisions and run them as "lean and mean…

December 2, 2011

Goldman says commodities to rally in 2012

Goldman Sachs Group forecast that commodities may rally 15% in the next 12 months, sticking with an “overweight” recommendation on raw materials and predicting Brent crude may surge to highest…

December 2, 2011

Global aluminum demand to slow in 2012, says top producer

Norsk Hydro, one of the world's top aluminum producers, sees growth in global aluminum demand weakening in 2012 as a result of economic turbulence that is creating a weak market…

December 2, 2011

Rio Tinto to invest US$2.7 billion to complete the modernization of the Kitimat smelter

Rio Tinto has given the green light to an additional US$2.7 billion capital investment to modernize its aluminium smelter in Kitimat, British Columbia. This new investment will allow for completion…