China’s aluminium inventory sets new high

Prysmian and Rio Tinto are working together to introduce low-carbon aluminum into the data center supply chain through an Amazon project in Ohio. The project combines Rio Tinto's aluminum production technology with Prysmian's cable manufacturing capabilities, providing a concrete application for their collaboration in low-carbon materials. Prysmian will supply cables made from aluminum produced using ELYSIS inert anode technology, manufactured at its Sedalia facility in Missouri, marking the first known application of inert anode smelting aluminum in the data center sector. ELYSIS technology is designed to replace carbon anodes in traditional aluminum smelting, a process that eliminates direct greenhouse gas emissions during smelting while releasing pure oxygen.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Jamaica’s government is seeking clarification from Rusal after reports that the aluminum producer is exploring a sale of its Windalco bauxite and alumina operations. Mining Minister Floyd Green said the government has received no formal notification of a planned sale, while checks with Rusal’s local team found no information or correspondence on the matter. The government plans to contact Rusal’s parent company directly. Windalco operates the Ewarton alumina refinery, bauxite mines and Port Esquivel, and produced 1.565 million tonnes of bauxite and 396,000 tonnes of alumina in 2025. Rusal has recently invested about US$29 million in a new haul road in St Ann, opening access to additional high-quality bauxite reserves. Rusal is reportedly sounding out potential buyers for both Windalco and its Guyana bauxite assets, but discussions remain at an early stage and a sale may not proceed.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] NALCO will offer 50,000 tonnes/year of molten aluminum at discounted rates to downstream manufacturers investing in the Angul Aluminium Park in Odisha. NALCO and Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) promoted the park at an investor roadshow in Kolkata on September 28, attended by more than 250 industry and investor representatives. The park provides a dedicated molten-metal corridor connecting downstream manufacturers with NALCO’s nearby Angul smelter, alongside land, power, water, road connectivity and R&D facilities. The initiative is aimed at increasing domestic production of higher-value aluminum products rather than expanding primary aluminum capacity itself. India currently imports nearly US$4 billion/year of high-finish aluminum products, according to Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy. NALCO’s Angul smelter currently has 460,000 tonnes/year of primary aluminum capacity, meaning the 50,000-tonne hot-metal allocation represents roughly 11% of existing capacity being specifically made available to support downstream manufacturing.