Cnal News
The MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) is set to publish a revision of the ‘Aluminium Industry Standards’. MIIT has put forward specific suggestions on the industry development as a whole including:
1. Development of the alumina industry
2. Industry threshold of aluminum industry and elimination of obsolete capacities
3. Emission standards, acceleration of comprehensive utilization of red mud and environmental allowance
4. Adjustment and optimization of industrial layout
According to MIIT, domestic alumina capacity reached 80 mtpy with output of 72.53 mln t in 2018, which was adequate for primary aluminium production needs for the year. At present, with domestic primary aluminium smelters operating under a strict overall capacity control scheme, the corresponding demand for alumina has shrunk. Consequently, the current administrative measures aimed to contract overall alumina capacity such as capacity cuts or replacements are no longer applicable. Instead, a fair and open market environment is to be formed for the healthy development of the domestic alumina industry with principles of marketization and under the rule of law.
In 2018, NDRC and MIIT jointly published ‘Notice on Promoting the Orderly Development of Alumina Industry’, putting forward clear requirements for the development of the alumina industry. MIIT will adhere to market-oriented and rule of law principles, continue to strictly implement the requirements of land, and environmental protection, energy consumption, quality, safety and other relevant laws and regulations, so that the market will play a decisive role in resource allocation. MIIT will also examine alumina construction projects according to different approaches such as written inquires, on-site research and inspections and spot checks to ensure that the requirements of the Notice are implemented in a timely and proper fashion.
