China¡¯s primary aluminium production growth to slow in 2008

China's primary aluminium output growth will slow this year and remain in a downtrend over the next few years due to high production costs, industry officials told Interfax in Beijing.

Despite this, China's primary aluminium output is set to hit around 15Mt this year, up over 19% from 2007, but the growth rate will drop 15% from last year, according to a forecast from the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association.

China produced 12.56Mt of primary aluminium in 2007, and 3.12Mt of primary aluminium in the first quarter of this year, up 7.9% from the same period last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Energy tightness will be a long-term issue preventing China's primary aluminium production from expanding at its previous pace, especially as the country's primary aluminium production is already well below capacity.

In addition, China's tightening polices on large-scale investment in the aluminium smelting sector, primary aluminium exports and raised energy prices are dissuading smelters from building new capacities.

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