Aluminium Output in February Did Not Fall Rapidly Despite Production Cuts

SHANGHAI, Mar 9 (SMM) - Domestic aluminium output in February (28 days) up 4.9% year-on-year to 3.09 million mt. From January to February 2023, the domestic aluminium output totalled 6.51 million mt, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%. At the end of February, the aluminium producers in Yunnan intensively reduced their production, but enterprises concentrated on casting ingots. As such, the output did not decline rapidly and the average daily output in February increased 150 mt month-on-month to 110,400 mt.

In February, most enterprises in Guizhou, Guizhou, and Sichuan resumed the production, but the slow power supply recovery weighed on the resumption of producers in Guizhou. The total resumed capacity reached 200,000 mt in February. At the same time, Phase II aluminium project of Gansu Zhongrui reached designed capacity, and the new capacity of Guizhou Xingren Denggao and Baiyinhua ramped up. The total new capacity reached around 160,000 mt. Enterprises in Yunnan reduced the production by 780,000 mt, contributing to most production cuts in February.