China’s alumina output hits over 1.5-year high

Total metallurgical-grade alumina production among the 44 Chinese producers regularly tracked by Mysteel rose to 1.79 million tonnes over July 4-10, up 2.1 per cent from the prior week and marking the highest weekly output since January 2024, according to Mysteel’s latest survey.

The increase was largely the result of the ongoing resumption of operations at several alumina refineries in East China’s Shandong province, Central China’s Henan province, and Southwest China’s Guizhou province, market watchers observed.

Specifically, on July 6, a Shandong-based alumina producer resumed an 800,000 tonnes per tonne production line following a previous cutback. The next day, two Henan-based refineries each restarted a 700,000 tonnes per year line, while a producer in Guizhou resumed a 200,000 tonnes per year line.