Author Archives: Paul Adkins

Black China Blog

• NFC puts its hand up July 4, 2015
  We reported a couple of weeks ago (see the post here) that a consortium of local governments in Iceland were combining to promote the concept of a new smelter in the north west of the country. Now NFC has put its hand up to be involved in the project. China Nonferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering […]
  Paul Adkins
• “We deliver” July 2, 2015
  That’s the apt motto that greets you when you arrive at the Port of Kuantan in Malaysia. We visited the Port of Kuantan as part of the Global Bauxite conference held in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week. A group of us went to visit the mining and shipping operations after the conference. My own view […]
  Paul Adkins
• Getting down and dirty in Kuantan July 2, 2015
  Following the Global Bauxite conference in Kuala Lumpur, a group of us took the trip to the east coast of Malaysia, to see the local mining and shipping operation for ourselves. The feature image shows the washing station at the Spring Energy mine. Spring Energy was an interesting company to visit, but we weren’t the […]
  Paul Adkins
• Kuantan in numbers June 30, 2015
  The Global Bauxite Conference here in Kuala Lumpur featured Dato Khasbullah Kadir, the COO of the Port of Kuantan. Mr Kadir gave us a detailed picture of what is happening in Kuantan port. This is the main port from which Malaysian bauxite is leaving for China. The port has a maximum draft of 11.2 metres, […]
  Paul Adkins
• Pick a number June 30, 2015
  The Global Bauxite conference in Kuala Lumpur has just finished, and one thing is clear – you can pick a number as to how much bauxite is likely to come out of Malaysia in the next few years. On Monday, we heard from a geologist with the Malaysian government that the total reserves in Malaysia […]
  Paul Adkins
• Re-entering the danger zone June 30, 2015
  China’s aluminium prices have slipped back into the danger zone. Shanghai 3-month prices closed at ¥12,625 today, while Changjiang closed at ¥12,510, down by 120 from yesterday. China’s metal prices continue to be dogged by too much supply and not enough demand. Government efforts at stimulating the economy are failing to deliver any sort of meaningful […]
  Paul Adkins
• Are they or aren’t they? Did they or not? June 30, 2015
  We have received several reports that Weifang Lianxing has been forced to close 2 of their 3 production lines due to problems meeting the new environmental policies. But Lianxing deny it. According to the people who reported it to us, lines 1 and 2 are closed, and only line 3 is operational. Lianxing say that […]
  Paul Adkins
• Chalco shuts in-house calciners June 29, 2015
  AZ China has learned that Chalco has closed at least some of its in-house calcining capacity, and has decided to switch to buying calcined coke from the merchant calcining market. Calcined coke is the refined version of petroleum coke and is used for the sacrificial anodes used in the primary metal electrolysis process. The decision […]
  Paul Adkins
• Shell game June 29, 2015
  China’s “fake semis” exporters are nothing if not creative. Today I learned that the latest trick is a variation of the old Shell Game. It’s a simple game, designed to get past those countries that think they can slap extra tariffs on imports of Chinese metal. You think the Chinese fake semis are here, […]
  Paul Adkins
• Consuming more, importing less June 29, 2015
  There is no under-estimating the impact of shale oil on the US. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reported that the USA now produces 8.7 million barrels of crude oil per day, up from 5.5 million in 2010. Virtually all the increase is attributable to the growth of the shale oil boom. Gross inputs […]
  Paul Adkins