MARKET TALK: Aluminum Restarts After Yrs Of Closures

It's not all downhill for troubled primary aluminum smelters that have been struggling amid extremely high energy costs, with some restarts now being seen, says Calyon's Michael Widmer. After closures in Europe and the US, some producers have now restarted production or will do so, he notes, citing Alcoa's Wenatchee and Ferndale smelters and Ormet's Hannibal smelter. Power accounts for around 28% of aluminum's total production costs.