Total Prebaked Anode Exports in 2022 Rise 5.43% YoY

SHANGHAI, Jan 30 (SMM) - According to customs data, China exported 148,800 mt of prebaked anode in December 2022, a month-on-month increase of 10.66% and a year-on-year decrease of 37.75%. The export value amounted to $190 million with an average price of $1,283.05/mt. China's prebaked anode exports totalled 1.98 million mt in 2022, up 5.43% from the previous year.

The top destinations of exports include Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, the Russian Federation, Norway and Canada. Particularly, the exports to the Russian Federation in December increased by 20,000 mt on a monthly basis, while the exports to Malaysia decreased by 40,000 mt. According to feedback from relevant enterprises, there was little change in the orders of different regions, and the shipping schedules might be the explanation.

The exports of prebaked anode performed rather well in 2022, with an increase of 102,100 mt compared with the exports in 2021. The main reason is that overseas aluminium enterprises, faced with surging energy prices caused the geopolitical conflicts, preferred imported raw materials such as prebaked anode to relieve cost pressure. Therefore, China, as a large producer of prebaked anode, is naturally favoured by overseas companies.

Major domestic prebaked anode companies have signed a new round of export orders with the arrival of 2023, but their feedback all pointed to pessimistic outlook. This is because many overseas aluminium companies have announced plans to halt or reduce the production in 2023, which takes a toll on the demand for prebaked anode. In response, most prebaked anode companies have shifted their focus from overseas demand to domestic demand, and it is thus expected that the exports of China's prebaked anode will decline by 2%-10% in 2023.