India’s national production of primary aluminium appears to be levelling out just above the 1.2 million tonne annualised level.
The latest figures from the country’s mines department showed production of 406,918t in July, equivalent to an annualised 1.219 million tonnes, which was slightly off the pace of June’s 1.232 million tonne annualised rate.
Year-on-year growth in the Apr-July period (the first four months of the fiscal year) was 11.25%, reflecting recent capacity expansions at both Balco and Hindalco.
However, Balco’s expansion to 345,000tpy was completed last year and its impact on the national growth figures is fading. The Korba smelter has been operating at rates comfortably above that capacity figure in the first four months of the current financial year but annualised production eased from June’s record 364,000t to 356,000t in July.
Hindalco still has some room for higher production over the balance of this year as the second phase of the capacity hike at the Hirakud smelter comes on stream. It has already been lifted to 100,000tpy and is due to reach 147,000tpy by the end of (calendar) 2007. However, the company’s group annualised production rate slipped back in July itself to 464,000t from June’s record 469,000t.
The country’s other two producers—state-owned Nalco and Vedanta’s small Malco unit—are running at or slightly above capacity with little year-on-year change in production patterns at either.
Nalco’s production edged up in July but more interesting will be the August figures. The company was affected by a shortage of coal for its dedicated power plant in that month (see item below).
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