SMM

【SMM Flash News】According to SMM statistics, the combined daily social inventory of secondary aluminum alloy ingots in Foshan, Ningbo, and Wuxi totaled 48,862 mt on December 15, down 6 mt from the previous trading day and 356 mt WoW (December 8). (Inventory data has been updated on the data terminal at 9:00.)

Ireland has reached a significant renewable energy milestone, with the national trade association, Solar Ireland, announcing that installed rooftop solar capacity has surpassed 1 GW. This capacity is distributed across more than 170,000 rooftops nationwide, a figure that is growing by approximately 50,000 installations annually according to distribution operator ESB Networks. To celebrate the achievement, stakeholders gathered at Fingallians GAA Club in Dublin to unveil a new 120-panel system that exemplifies the sector's value, offering a payback period of just three to five years. The rapid growth is attributed to a successful alignment of industry capability and government policy, notably the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's (SEAI) decision to maintain residential grants at €1,800 through 2026. With Ireland's total solar capacity across all types now reaching 2.1 GW, officials view this progress as proof that consistent support and targeted investment are effectively driving the country’s climate solutions.

AI data center construction is creating unexpected incremental demand for copper. By 2026, data centers alone are projected to consume a significant share of global copper supply. With new mine commissioning being slow, scrap copper recycling will be the fastest and most critical way to fill this demand gap, with high-grade scrap expected to face direct competition from the tech sector.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) has launched an interim review regarding its existing anti-dumping and countervailing duties on solar modules and laminates imported from China. This review targets Order RR-2020-001, originally issued in March 2021, which imposes duties on crystalline silicon and thin-film photovoltaic products while excluding items under 100 W. The tribunal's decision to reopen the file follows an August 2025 request by Kings Solar Solutions, which is seeking a specific exemption for flexible solar panels designed to adhere to curved surfaces. Notably, major domestic manufacturers Heliene Inc. and Silfab Solar Inc. have indicated their willingness to agree to an exclusion for low-wattage modules up to 200 W. Consequently, the tribunal ruled that a targeted review limited to Kings Solar's request is warranted and has set a deadline of December 23, 2025, for interested parties to file notices of participation.

Australia’s metal recycling industry is expanding rapidly due to decarbonization goals, resource security concerns, and rising industrial demand. Recycled copper and other non-ferrous scrap demand are benefiting as part of the circular-economy and energy transition strategy.

Italy's energy agency, GSE, recently concluded its second solar auction under the FER X transitional program, allocating 1.1 GW of photovoltaic capacity across 88 selected projects. This auction is notable for being the first to enforce the EU's Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) resilience criteria, which explicitly bans the use of Chinese-made modules, cells, and inverters for projects larger than 1 MW. The financial impact of these supply chain restrictions was evident, as the average final price settled at €0.06637/kWh, approximately €0.010/kWh higher than the previous auction which lacked these exclusions, though still roughly 28% below the agency's initial price cap. Among the winners, only two projects exceeded 100 MW: a 180 MW facility by Alta Capital and a 107.9 MW plant by Zelestra, both slated for development in Sicily.

Australia’s Fortescue plans to acquire the remaining 64% stake in Alta Copper for about C$139 million (US$101 million). Alta Copper’s Canariaco project in northern Peru holds substantial copper resources.

December 12 According to data from Iran's Minerals & Mining Industries Development & Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), Iran's aluminum ingot production reached 411,351 tons during the first eight months of the Iranian calendar year (March 21 - November 20, 2025), up 3% year-on-year from 400,425 tons during the same period last year.

On December 14, 2025, Dong Mingzhu stated that while "aluminum replacing copper" is technically feasible in the air conditioning industry, Gree continues to insist on using copper materials. This is because aluminum has not yet met the same technical standards and reliability as copper.She emphasized that Gree will persist in researching aluminum substitution technology and will only adopt aluminum once it can fully replace copper.