Industry Overview
Why does bauxite matter
Bauxite is the primary raw material for aluminium, a metal that has become essential for modern industries, national security, technological development, and global decarbonisation efforts.
Mined bauxite ore is refined into alumina, and then smelted to extract aluminium metal, which can then be formed into a variety of semi-fabricated or complete products for use across a range of sectors.
Renewable Energy Generation
Green energy sources rely heavily on aluminium, both for energy generation infrastructure and storage technologies
Electric Vehicles
EVs utilise significantly more aluminium than traditional vehicles, with fast growing demand in this sector increasing aluminium supply requirements
Energy Transmission
Key metal of choice for transmission cables and wiring as it is lightweight and highly conductive
Packaging and Consumer Products
Aluminium is an ideal environmentally friendly, durable, impermeable and lightweight alternative to plastic packaging
The outlook for Bauxite and Aluminium
Aluminium demand is forecast to grow by 30Mt, or 29% by 2030
A global focus on decarbonization, sustainability and technological innovation is expected to have a substantial impact on aluminium demand, with accelerated supply requirements driven by rapid growth in China, South East Asia and North America
Strong demand for bauxite, requiring additional supply
Chinese bauxite imports have increased at a compound annual growth rate of 25% for 20 years, with an additional 39Mtpa required by 2035.
Due to ongoing drivers of bauxite supply risk, including resource nationalism, sovereign risk, resource depletion and environmental issues, new mines are required in low-sovereign risk nations to meet rising demand.