Iranian Drones Strike US Military Targets in Kuwait and UAE, Hitting Aluminum Facilities Linked to F-35 Production

On March 31, the commissioning ceremony for the green technological upgrading project of aluminum-based new materials of Shandong Lubei Haisheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. was held at the project site. This project is a key initiative of Lubei Group to promote green industrial transformation and address key capacity gaps. Since its commencement in 2024, it has accumulated an investment of 455 million yuan. Upon full operation, the project will save 128,000 tons of standard coal equivalent in energy consumption annually, significantly improving resource utilization and further solidifying the company's foundation for an annual alumina production capacity of 1 million tons.

Indonesian state-owned aluminum giant PT Inalum on Tuesday called on the government to halt new alumina and aluminum plant construction, citing concerns about oversupply and pressure on the country's bauxite reserves. Resource-rich Indonesia is keen to boost its domestic metals industry and has banned the export of raw ore to encourage investment in domestic factories.

According to foreign media reports, Indian beer producers have warned that beer prices will rise and supplies will be disrupted due to natural gas shortages caused by the Iranian conflict, which has led to delays in aluminum imports needed for canned beer production. India is the world's fourth-largest natural gas importer, with approximately 40% of its demand coming from Qatar, making it highly vulnerable to fuel supply disruptions. The Iranian attacks have disrupted some of Qatar's export capacity, further exacerbating the natural gas supply shortage for Indian manufacturers. Aluminum can suppliers have also warned that aluminum can supplies may decrease before the peak summer beer sales season.