A’asia features in aluminium output

Press, 27 April 1983, Page 32

A’asia features in aluminium output

About two thirds of the growth in world aluminium production during the next three years is expected to take place in Australia and New Zealand.

Company returns to the International Primary Aluminium Institute—the producers’ club—show a growth in world plant capacity of 805,000 tonnes a year from December, 1982, to December, 1985. Of that, 559,000 tonnes a year will be added in the Oceania region—Australia and New Zealand.

World production capacity is expected to be 14.8 million tonnes a year by the end of 1985, but Oceania capacity is expected to double—from 623,000 to 1.2 million tonnes a year. North American capacity is expected to remain virtually unchanged at 6.1 million tonnes a year, while the other big growth area— South Asia—is expected to raise its capacity from 875,000 tonnes a year to about one million tonnes a year.

Oceania’s capacity at June 30, 1982, was only 555,000 tonnes a year of a revised world total of 13.9 million tonnes a year.

Cuts in production capacity are centred in East Asia, which includes Japan, and Europe.

European capacity is expected to fall by about 150,000 tonnes a year by 1985 to 3.6 million tonnes and East Asia is expected to come down by almost the same amount to just one million tonnes a year. The 1.P.A.1. figures for January also show the extent of the effect of the recession on aluminium production.

World production was only 10.5 million tonnes in 1982, down from 12.3 million tonnes the year before and 12.6 million tonnes in 1980.

Production in Oceania grew from 414,000 tonnes in 1978 to 548,000 tonnes in 1982 and was more than 50,000 tonnes a month by January 1983. High energy costs and recession showed up in East Asia, where production in 1982 was down to only 372,000 tonnes (from 1.1 million tonnes in 1978). By January, 1983, East Asia production was only 23,000 tonnes a month. South Asia production

grew strongly, from 385,000 ‘onnes in 1978 to 627,000 tonnes in 1982. At January, 1983, monthly production was at 56,000 tonnes.

World monthly production was rising in January, at 856,000 tonnes, after falling to a low of 822,000 tonnes in November. 1982.