Global primary aluminum consumption rose 6% year on year to 12 million mt in the first quarter of 2013, aluminum producer Rusal in Russia said Tuesday.
China posted the strongest demand growth rate of 11%, supported by a strong 12.81% year-on-year rise in automotive output during the quarter, Rusal said. The company however, did not give the aluminum consumption breakdown by regions.
China has cut aluminum production by 780,000 mt due to oversupply, but also brought on-stream, 810,000 mt of new production capacity in Q1.
"We expect the Chinese market to become more balanced in 2013 as loss making and obsolete capacity will be curtailed and the commissioning of new capacity will be slower," Rusal said.
Meanwhile, overall consumption growth in Europe during Q1 was flat despite a rise of 8.5% in Turkey, Rusal said.
European car sales fell by 10.2% in March 2013 from a year ago, and the Eurozone construction-related production index for Q1 has fallen 9% year on year, Rusal said.
"The only bright picture in the region was the Turkish market where aluminum consumption grew by 18,000 mt, or 9% year on year supported by developments in the automotive and construction sectors," Rusal said.
Consumption in Southeast Asia grew by 9%, India 7.4% and North America 2.1%, while Japan fell by 8%, Rusal added.
Rusal forecasts global aluminum consumption for the entire year to reach 50 million mt, up 6% from 2012.
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