Brazilian primary aluminium industry climbs from 12th to 8th rank, regaining production and investment capacity

Brazil has reclaimed its position as a top ten player in the global aluminium industry, ramping up the production of primary aluminium and raw materials. Once, the country, which used to be the world's sixth largest aluminium producer, lost its momentum for an interim period and ranked 12th in 2022. However, in the subsequent year, Brazil's aluminium industry showed resurgence through advanced strategies and transformative initiatives in operations.

Overview and analysis of primary aluminium production

From the start of 2023, the Brazilian aluminium industry has been steadfast in raising domestic production with a strong focus on reducing reliance on imported products. The country successfully increased its primary aluminium production by 26 per cent to 1,021.7 thousand tonnes versus 810.9 thousand tonnes in 2022. With this production hike, Brazil may not have regained its sixth position among the top ten global producers, but it ranked up to 8th from 12th.

The increase in Brazil's primary aluminium production in 2023 was the sole result of the resumption of the Alumar smelter, jointly owned by Alcoa and Sounth32. After remaining idle for seven years, the smelter recommenced with renovated potlines having an annual installed capacity of 1.4 million tonnes.