Alurion Resources spin-out raises A$50 million for ASX debut
Brazilian Rare Earths (ASX:BRE) is spinning out its Amargosa bauxite-gallium project in Bahia into a separately listed vehicle, Alurion Resources (ASX:ALU), whose initial public offering reached maximum subscription at A$1.05 per share, raising A$50 million through the issue of roughly 47.6 million shares. At the offer price, Alurion is set to list with an undiluted market value of about A$256 million, with BRE retaining around 16 percent of the new company via approximately 39 million shares and existing BRE shareholders receiving about 0.5607 Alurion shares per BRE share through an in-specie distribution. The Amargosa deposit hosts a JORC-compliant mineral resource of around 568 million tonnes, including roughly 98 million tonnes of direct-shipping bauxite grading about 41.9 percent total available alumina with 2.5 percent reactive silica, and is described as not requiring a beneficiation plant or tailings facility. The demerger allows BRE to focus on its rare earth portfolio, including the Monte Alto deposit where a scoping study is expected in August 2026, while Alurion's ASX admission is scheduled for around 30 July 2026, with trading expected to commence in early August.
US aluminium hydroxide imports from Brazil stay tariff-free
Industry representatives have urged the US Trade Representative to preserve duty-free access to Brazilian aluminium hydroxide after the Trump administration imposed 25 percent tariffs on many Brazilian products. The US has only one domestic aluminium hydroxide production plant and no domestic bauxite mining, leaving about 40 percent of national aluminium hydroxide demand supplied by Hydro's Alunorte refinery in Brazil. The same refinery sources roughly USD 300 million of liquefied natural gas annually from Louisiana and Texas and imports around 600,000 metric tonnes of US-produced caustic soda for refining operations. The National Association of Manufacturers, the Mississippi Rural Water Association, members of Congress and aluminium hydroxide supply chain companies backed the exemption, while Hydro's Head of North American Affairs Ryan Modlin said aluminium hydroxide supports manufacturing competitiveness and national security. Alunorte's bauxite feedstock also contains significant gallium concentrations, raising the prospect of commercial recovery as allied-country alternatives to Chinese gallium supply.
CBAM reshapes Brazilian aluminium and steel trade with Europe
Brazilian aluminium and steel exporters are accelerating emissions certification as the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism begins to influence pricing, contracts and sourcing decisions. Government data cited by Fastmarkets showed Brazilian aluminium billet exports to Europe fell 43.9 percent to 4,261 tonnes in the first half of 2026, while aluminium ingot exports dropped 47.3 percent to 51,935 tonnes, though ingot shipments between March and June rose 61.9 percent year on year to 40,564 tonnes as Middle East conflict lifted European premiums. Fastmarkets assessed the Rotterdam P1020A aluminium premium at USD 500–530 per tonne on July 21, up from USD 320–350 on January 2, with the range including CBAM certificate costs, while Brazilian low-VAT P1020A delivered to São Paulo climbed to USD 300–330 from USD 220–250. Brazilian slab exports to the EU took a different path, rising 283.7 percent to about 1 million tonnes in the first half of 2026 from roughly 265,000 tonnes a year earlier, with Fastmarkets assessing Brazilian slab at USD 575–585 per tonne FOB on July 17. WayCarbon's Rafael Della Barba said product-level emissions accounting remains complex for metals producers because incorporating renewable energy and bioenergy into CBAM calculations is not straightforward.
Century Aluminum prepares Mt. Holly inauguration
Century Aluminum is preparing a July 27 ribbon-cutting at its Mt. Holly aluminium smelter in Goose Creek, South Carolina, attended by US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and Century President and CEO Jesse Gary. The expansion is projected to lift total US primary aluminium production by roughly 10 percent and expand Mt. Holly's workforce to more than 600 employees. Century Aluminum said the project has been supported by Section 232 aluminium tariffs introduced by the Trump administration, which the company described as encouraging increased domestic production on national security grounds. Century is the largest primary aluminium producer in the United States and the second largest in Iceland, supplying defence, infrastructure, transportation, aerospace and consumer goods industries.
Share this article
