Century Aluminum Q3 Results Miss Expectations, Weighed Down by Power and Operating Costs
Century Aluminum reported Q3 results for the period ended September 30, 2026 on Thursday: net sales increased $209.1 million QoQ, and net income attributable to the company in Q3 2026 was $302.6 million, up $53.3 million QoQ. The increase in net sales was primarily driven by the resumption of production at Line 2 of the Grundartangi plant in Iceland, with capacity restored to near-full levels during the quarter, leading to higher shipments, as well as improved realized selling prices for aluminum products. The increase in net income was mainly attributable to higher shipments driven by the production resumption at Grundartangi Line 2 and higher realized metal selling prices, partially offset by lower insurance recovery gains related to equipment failures in Iceland, as well as higher electricity prices due to extreme heat in Q3 and weaker power settlement costs.
Q3 results were also impacted by $31 million in net special items: including $34.5 million in after-tax unrealized gains on derivative instruments and $12.7 million in after-tax insurance recovery gains, partially offset by $15.1 million in after-tax losses related to equipment failures in Iceland. Accordingly, adjusted net income attributable to the company in Q3 2026 was $271.6 million, up $14.3 million QoQ.
Adjusted EBITDA attributable to the company in Q3 2026 was $331.6 million, an increase of $4.7 million from the previous quarter. The growth was primarily driven by sales volume, product mix optimization, and favorable realized metal selling prices, offset by higher operating expenses and unfavorable power settlement prices.