Brazil bets on aluminum, as the prices rise

Aluminum prices are growing against the background of a substantial increase in demand. Brazil reashaet increase the production of aluminum.

Aluminum prices began to rise. Brazil in May increased smelting aluminum by 1,4% compared to the same period in 2009, to 130,9 thousand tons. This was reported by the Brazilian Aluminum Association ABAL. However, the production of aluminum as a whole 5 months of this year decreased by 1.6% to 634.6 thousand tons.

This company Valesul did not make primary aluminum from April last year, and plant CBA company Votorantim Metals has made the greatest volume of aluminum in May – 40,2 thousand tons, which corresponds to the last year. Aluminum plant Albras, recently acquired the Norwegian company NorskHydro, produced 38,7 thousand tons of metal, which also corresponds to its level of production in May 2009. Plant Po?os de Caldas, owned by U.S. corporation Alcoa, received in May, 29.4 thousand tons of aluminum, at 7.7% improved in the same period last year. However, aluminum production at the facilities of the Australian-British corporation BHP Billiton fell by 0,7% to 14,5 thousand tons, whereas in plants the Brazilian company Novelis decline of production in May was the highest, at 2.4%, to 8,1 thousand tons.

Earlier it was reported that in April, Brazil has increased aluminum consumption by 25,4% compared to the same period in 2009. In general, up to 4 months of this year, consumption of aluminum in the country grew by 24%. This ABAL forecasts growth of aluminum consumption in the country at 21,2% compared with last year, to 1.22 million tons. In 2009 Brazil reduced its aluminum smelting by 7% compared with the previous period, to 1.53 million tons.