Rusal, the Russian aluminium giant and the world’s largest aluminium producer outside China, has reportedly planned to supply 300,000-400,000 tonnes of metal to China in 2021. Compared to the year last, the volume has remained essentially the same. Roman Andryushin, the company's head of sales in Russia, the CIS, and China, said that Rusal would significantly increase the sales to China next year.
China is the world’s largest aluminium producer and usually has little demand for overseas supplies. But due to the recovery in domestic demand after the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison with production, China had to import a considerable amount of aluminium last year.
Andryushin also noted that Rusal’s total production of aluminium would increase to around 4.3 million tonnes in 2022 due to the commissioning of the Taishet smelter. In 2020, Rusal’s production stood at 3.8 million tonnes.
Andryushin expects more than 1.5 million tonnes of shortfall this year in the global aluminium market, compared to 1.4 million tonnes in 2020.
Alcoa, on the other hand, expects the global aluminium demand to grow by 10 per cent year-on-year in 2021 and to exceed the level in 2019.
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