Alumina prices, demand fall despite reduced Alunorte capacity

Benchmark alumina prices in the Pacific are under pressure due to quiet market conditions and weak demand, despite ongoing production restrictions at Hydro's Alunorte refinery in Brazil.

Fastmarkets benchmark alumina index, fob Australia was at $273.44 per tonne on Wednesday September 9, down by 3.8% from a five-month high of $284.32 per tonne on August 21.
"Prices are under pressure and the $280s [per tonne] are not achievable anymore; liquidity has been low so far in September and there are little supporting factors," one trader source said.
Hydro announced on August 18 that it had halted the 244-kilometer pipeline transporting bauxite from its Paragominas bauxite mine to the Alunorte alumina refinery in Barcarena, Brazil, for extended maintenance.
Production at the mine stopped as a result, and reduced Alunorte's alumina output to 35-45% of capacity.

The news initially sent prices higher and caused a surge in buying activity in the market, with deals in August concluding as high as $298.25 per tonne cif China and $297.76 per tonne on a fob Visakhapatnam, India,...

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