Shandong to See Limited Alumina Expansions, SMM Survey

Recently, the European Commission officially designated the Arctial aluminum project in Finland as a Strategic Project under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). This is the first aluminum smelter planned to be built in Europe in more than 30 years, and it holds significant importance for improving Europe's heavy reliance on imported primary aluminum. Currently, over 60% of Europe's primary aluminum is sourced from outside the region, posing a prominent supply chain security risk. The project is located in the Kokkola-Kronoby area of Finland, with a total investment of 4.7 billion euros. Once completed, it will boost Europe's primary aluminum capacity by about 20%, providing a critical raw material guarantee for Europe's industrial, energy transition, and national defense sectors. In terms of economic benefits, the project will directly create 1,200 jobs. According to an assessment by the Finnish consulting firm Ramboll, including indirect jobs across upstream and downstream sectors, it will drive employment for 8,500 people in total. After commissioning, it is expected to boost Finland's GDP by 0.7% and generate over 600 million euros in new tax revenue annually. Arctial stated that Finland has abundant low-carbon electricity and a stable business environment, offering superior conditions for developing the aluminum industry. Securing the EU strategic designation is an important milestone for the project, marking a step closer to the final investment decision. The enterprise will continue to engage with all parties to advance the project's implementation. Arctial CEO Torbjörn Sternsjö noted that Europe urgently needs more reliable raw material supply. The project will both help Europe achieve supply chain autonomy and bring long-term economic benefits to Finland. Board Chairman Pekka Vuoramo stated that substantial work remains to be completed, and the company will join forces with all parties to steadily advance the project.

The R&D Center of Yulin New Materials Group successfully completed the production-line trial manufacturing of large-size 2A12 and 7075 aluminum alloy flat casting ingots, producing high-quality casting ingots and achieving a significant phased breakthrough for the company in the field of high-end aluminum semis preparation. As high-value-added key basic materials in aerospace and high-end equipment manufacturing, 2-series and 7-series aluminum alloys are core products for addressing the shortfall in high-end aluminum semis supply within Shaanxi Province. This project has opened up the critical path for transforming pilot-scale results into industrialisation and has accumulated valuable practical experience for the large-scale implementation of high-end aluminum alloys.

SPIC's first aluminum flexible load test cell was officially energized and put into operation at the Ningdong Branch. The project selected four 400 kA electrolysis cells as test carriers, focusing on breakthroughs in flexible cell structure, automatic control, and flexible production processes. Through cell structure innovation, control system upgrades, and flexible production process reconfiguration, a pilot platform meeting the conditions for flexible regulation tests was established, building a complete technical system for flexible loads on aluminum electrolysis cells and enabling dynamic adjustability of aluminum electrolysis production loads. This is an important technological innovation practice by the group company in proactively serving the construction of new-type power systems, promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of the nonferrous metallurgy industry, and exploring quality and efficiency improvements in existing capacity.