SMM Secondary Aluminum Report: Futures Up, Spot Steady Amid Weak Demand

The Publicity Department of the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee and the Information Office of the People’s Government of Shanxi Province held the third press conference of the series themed “Starting the 15th Five-Year Plan on a Solid Footing,” briefing on Yangquan City’s economic and social development plan and key arrangements for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Centering on energy transition, Yangquan will keep a firm hold on the basic foundation of stable production and supply, promote the transformation of coal from fuel to high-value-added materials, coordinate the integrated layout of wind, solar, thermal power, and energy storage, and build a national-level zero-carbon industrial park to high standards. By the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the city’s installed renewable energy capacity is expected to reach 4.8 million kW, and its energy storage capacity will exceed 2 million kW. At the same time, it will focus on industrial upgrading, with an emphasis on cultivating three ten-billion-yuan-level industrial clusters: aluminum deep processing, calcium-based materials, and new-type battery materials. Among them, the output value of the aluminum deep processing industry is projected to surpass 30 billion yuan by 2030, while calcium-based materials will reach 15 billion yuan, and new-type battery materials will reach 15 billion yuan.

With the official approval of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the New Energy Metal Materials Shanxi Laboratory was jointly established by Chalco Shanxi New Material Co., Ltd., as one of the co-establishing units, together with key universities and magnesium industry leaders, aiming to accelerate the transformation of Shanxi's aluminum-magnesium industry into the high-end track of new energy. As the highest-level innovation platform in the province, the laboratory focuses closely on the demands for lightweight development in NEVs and energy storage, laying out four core research directions: low-carbon smelting, high-performance alloys, precision forming, and solid waste recycling, and striving to build an entire aluminum-magnesium R&D chain system. Leveraging the most comprehensive resource advantages of the province's entire aluminum industry chain, Chalco Shanxi New Material will fully unleash its industrial strengths in pilot-scale production and mass manufacturing. Joining hands with partner universities and industry leaders, it will concentrate on tackling "bottleneck" technologies in battery substrate materials, lightweight alloys and other fields, drastically shortening the cycle for translating research outcomes into practical applications, and promoting the integrated development of basic research, technological breakthroughs, and industrial implementation.

Shenzhen Sunxing announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Zhejiang Sunxing Lingchuan New Materials Technology Co., Ltd., plans to sign the 《Project Investment Agreement》 with the Management Committee of the Yangtze River Delta (Huzhou) Industrial Cooperation Zone to invest in the construction of an aluminum-based high-end new materials project. The project is expected to have a capacity of 10kt, cover an area of approximately 150 mu, and have a construction period of 18 months, with the first phase investment of 400 million yuan to build a demonstration production line with an annual capacity of 20kt for the aluminum-based high-end new materials project. This investment has been approved by the board of directors and does not need to be submitted to the shareholders' meeting for approval.