News

Rusal has announced the launch of an experimental reduction area at the Irkutsk Aluminium Smelter, which will operate under the EcoSoderberg technology. The total amount of investment in the project amounted to 540 million roubles.   Implementing EcoSoderberg technology is one of the priority retrofitting projects for RUSAL. New generation potcells have a significantly reduced environmental impact, and bring increased energy efficiency to aluminium smelters and automation for the majority of production processes.   The pilot production at the Irkutsk Aluminium Smelter...

According to reports, Rio Tinto is in advanced talks to sell its aluminium assets in Australia and New Zealand to GFG Alliance, the investment company run by Sanjeev Gupta. While the talks could end without agreement, Mr Gupta is said to be keen to buy Rio’s Pacific Aluminium business as he looks to build a global industrial conglomerate spanning metals, power, renewable energy and finance.

Alcoa Corporation has announced that the company and power provider Luminant Generation Company LLC have terminated the electricity contract tied to Alcoa’s Rockdale Operations in Texas. The smelter at Rockdale has been fully curtailed since the end of 2008. The termination of the contract, which had been set to expire no later than 2038, was effective as of October 1, 2017. While the Company sold surplus electricity since the smelter’s curtailment, Alcoa’s cost of power under the contract exceeded the related revenue. The Company expects an annual improvement to...

According to reports, Kobe Steel has admitted to falsifying inspection data on about 20,000 tonnes of metals used in aircraft and automobiles in the latest quality scandal to hit corporate Japan. Products affected included 19,300 tonnes of aluminium plate and extrusions; 2,200 tonnes of copper strip and pipe; and 19,400 cast and forged aluminium parts. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said that aluminium used in its regional passenger jet was among the shipments with falsified data. However, it said there was no safety issue and delivery of the jet — which is currently undergoing...

Constellium N.V. has announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with Bombardier to supply flat rolled products in a rich mix of alloys, shapes and applications for a number of their aircraft programs such as C Series, CRJ Series, Q Series, Global and Challenger.  In this new contract, Constellium will become one of the leading suppliers of flat rolled products to Bombardier globally. Constellium and Bombardier are long-time partners, with a strong history of collaborative research. Bombardier’s C Series aircraft aluminium-lithium fuselage sheets and extrusions...

Emirates Global Aluminium has signed an agreement with The University of Queensland, Australia, to conduct a three-year research programme into turning a by-product of the alumina industry into soil. The ground-breaking research project with The University of Queensland’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences will investigate combining bauxite residue with agricultural and domestic wastes to create a soil for greening and other uses.  The research project is led by Professor Richard Haynes, a renowned soil scientist and expert in the remediation and rehabilitation of...

A pioneering metallurgist has been presented with an award for his contribution to the global aluminium industry.   The Aluminium Industry Award was presented to Prof. Scamans at the Aluminium Federation’s 2017 Dinner by Aluminium Federation President Giles Ashmead (pictured). The event, at Tortworth Court in Gloucestershire, was attended by more than 200 guests from across the aluminium sector.   Chief scientific officer at Innoval Technology, Professor Scamans is also Professor of Metallurgy at Brunel University’s BCAST metals research facility. He started...

SOHAR Aluminium to host ARABAL 2017 under the patronage of H.H. Sayyid Harib Bin Thuwaini Al Said Under the patronage of H.H. Sayyid Harib bin Thuwaini Al Said, Assistant Secretary General of the Council of Ministers for Conferences, Sohar Aluminium is gearing up to host the 2017 Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL). Scheduled to take place in Muscat from November 7th – 9th 2017, the event will be attended by all of the region’s primary aluminium manufactures, in addition to top executives from a cross section of industries, VIPs and over 500 delegates from...