March 2024: Chinese alumina refineries experience 8% surge in domestic output amid upturn in production capacity

From January to March 2024, China’s metallurgical-grade alumina production totalled 19.764 million tonnes, marking an annual growth of 3.31 per cent from 19.13 million tonnes.

China’s daily average alumina output in March 2024 was 218,800 tonnes per day, up by 4,500 tonnes per day from 214,300 tonnes in March 2023. 

Operating capacity

In the year’s first three months, China’s alumina production capacity was 100 million tonnes, while the operating capacity was 79.96 million tonnes and the average operating rate was 80 per cent.

The operating rate in Shanxi was 70.2 per cent, up 2.2 per cent M-o-M, attributed to a production capacity recovery of 1.1 million tonnes at one of the refineries, which suspended its operations in mid-March due to insufficient raw material supply. 

The operating rate in Henan was 66.4 per cent in March after increasing by 9.4 per cent month-on-month, contributed by a refinery that recovered 900,000 tonnes of operating production capacity. The operating rate in Guizhou also rose M-o-M, albeit at a lower rate of 1.3 per cent, to stand at 76.5 per cent, thanks to the production resumption of several refineries that shut down in early February, involving an annual capacity of 600,000 tonnes.