Rio Tinto Considers Restarting Fourth Line at NZ Aluminum Smelter Amid High Prices

Published: Mar 6, 2026 18:50

Save

Rio Tinto May Restart the Fourth Production Line at New Zealand Aluminium Smelters
As aluminum prices neared record highs, Rio Tinto considered restarting the fourth production line at Tiwai Point

Rio Tinto was actively considering restarting the idle fourth production line at the Tiwai Point aluminum smelter near Bluff on New Zealand’s South Island. As global aluminum prices surged above $3,000/mt and hovered near a record high of around $3,148/mt—up 24% since month-end March 2025—the likelihood of reopening the smelter’s idle capacity continued to increase.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

3 hours ago

[SMM Aluminum Flash News] Vedanta Hits Record Aluminum Output, Adds Marginal Supply Support

Vedanta reported record aluminum output of 2.456 Mt in FY26, up 1% YoY, while alumina rose 48% to 2.916 Mt. With refinery capacity at 4 Mt/year, the growth reflects strong expansion. It adds some supply, but overall balance still depends on global disruptions.

3 hours ago

9 hours ago

Return to Work Drove a Sharp Rise in the Operating Rate of Secondary Aluminum Producers in March[SMM Analysis]

[SMM Analysis]Return to Work Drove a Sharp Rise in the Operating Rate of Secondary Aluminum Producers in March, Expected to Decline in April

9 hours ago

11 hours ago

SHFE Cast Aluminum Alloy Warrants Down 213 mt to 30,434 mt on April 14

[SMM Update] SHFE data showed that on April 14, the total registered cast aluminum alloy warrants stood at 30,434 mt, a decrease of 213 mt from the previous trading day. Specifically, Shanghai (1,822 mt, down 90 mt), Guangdong (11,846 mt, down 153 mt), Jiangsu (3,938 mt, up 61 mt), Zhejiang (8,019 mt, unchanged), Chongqing (3,603 mt, down 31 mt), and Sichuan (1,206 mt, unchanged).

11 hours ago