Talco Extends MoU to Acquire Al Sharqiyah Aluminium Factory for Additional Six Months

[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] 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.

The following table shows the ferrous and nonferrous metals movement on the SHFE and DCE on 19 Aug , 2026