Spot Aluminum Falls Below Monthly Average, Supply-Demand Pattern Improves [SMM South China Spot Aluminum Daily Review]

[SMM Aluminum Express News] India’s Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) plans to invest up to ₹200 crore (around US$21 million) to establish separate electronic exchanges for coal and minerals, as India moves to improve domestic price discovery and transparency in physical commodity trading. MCX Managing Director Praveena Rai said around ₹100 crore would be invested in each platform. SEBI has already approved MCX’s investment in the proposed mineral spot exchange, while MCX incorporated its coal exchange subsidiary earlier this year. The mineral exchange is expected to facilitate physical delivery-based trading in commodities including iron ore and bauxite, with buyers and sellers transacting through a centralised electronic platform rather than the exchange simply providing another futures contract. India’s new mineral-exchange framework provides for standardised contracts, assaying, clearing and settlement, with the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) responsible for registering mineral exchanges. MCX expects the new coal and mineral platforms to become operational in the financial year beginning April 2027, subject to remaining regulatory approvals.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Saudi Arabia’s Talco Industrial Company has extended its memorandum of understanding to acquire Al Sharqiyah Factory for Aluminium Extrusion for another six months. The extension runs from 12 August 2026, allowing the parties additional time to complete the necessary procedures and negotiations for the proposed transaction. The original non-binding MoU was signed in November 2025. The proposed acquisition would expand Talco’s exposure to downstream aluminum extrusion manufacturing in Saudi Arabia. Al Sharqiyah Factory operates as a limited liability company engaged in aluminum extrusion, and the extension indicates that the transaction remains under evaluation rather than having reached a final acquisition agreement. The financial terms and final transaction structure have not yet been disclosed.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Hydro Energi and Sweden’s Varberg Energi have signed an 18-month pilot hybrid power purchase agreement combining wind and solar generation with energy storage to provide a more stable renewable electricity supply for industrial use. The agreement covers a total of 10 GWh of electricity in Sweden’s SE3 price area, with deliveries having started in July 2026. The pilot is designed to test whether different renewable generation sources and energy storage can be combined to reduce the variability associated with intermittent wind and solar power. Hydro said the arrangement will serve as a proof of concept, with the potential for similar hybrid supply structures to be used more broadly to provide industry with long-term, competitive and sustainable electricity. The companies will also exchange operational knowledge on how generation and storage technologies can be optimised for industrial demand.