On April 28, Guangdong Province officially released the Outline of its 15th Five-Year Plan. The plan proposes strengthening R&D and equipment manufacturing for new PV technologies like perovskite and tandem cells, while supporting the development of solar-storage-charging and PEDF (photovoltaics, energy storage, direct current and flexibility) integrated products. It also emphasizes reinforcing the electrochemical energy storage supply chain, expanding diverse technical routes for solid-state batteries, and promoting applications of sodium-ion, flow, and compressed air energy storage. Additionally, the outline highlights developing offshore wind components, accelerating the smart grid equipment industry, and promoting mature Gen III nuclear power technologies.

Data from the NBS showed that in March, raw coal production by above-designated-scale industrial enterprises totaled 440 million mt, flat YoY, with daily average production of 14.21 million mt. In January–March, raw coal production by above-designated-scale industrial enterprises totaled 1.2 billion mt, up 0.1% YoY. In March, crude oil production by above-designated-scale industrial enterprises totaled 19.07 million mt, up 0.2% YoY, with daily average production of 615,000 mt. In January–March, crude oil production by above-designated-scale industrial enterprises totaled 54.8 million mt, up 1.3% YoY. In March, crude oil processing volume by above-designated-scale industrial enterprises totaled 61.67 million mt, down 2.2% YoY, with daily average processing of 1.989 million mt. In January–March, crude oil processed by above-designated-scale industrial enterprises totaled 184.31 million mt, up 1.1% YoY. Energy Production in March 2026 In March, raw coal production by above-designated-scale industrial enterprises (hereinafter referred to as above-designated-scale industries) remained stable, crude oil production maintained growth, natural gas production growth accelerated, and power generation grew steadily. I. Raw Coal, Crude Oil, and Natural Gas Production and Related Information Raw coal production remained stable. In March, raw coal production by above-designated-scale industries totaled 440 million mt, flat YoY, with daily average production of 14.21 million mt. In January–March, raw coal production by above-designated-scale industries totaled 1.2 billion mt, up 0.1% YoY. Crude oil production maintained growth. In March, crude oil production by above-designated-scale industries totaled 19.07 million mt, up 0.2% YoY, with daily average production of 615,000 mt. In January–March, crude oil production by above-designated-scale industries totaled 54.8 million mt, up 1.3% YoY. Crude oil processing shifted from growth to decline. In March, crude oil processing volume by above-designated-scale industries totaled 61.67 million mt, down 2.2% YoY, with daily average processing of 1.989 million mt. In January–March, crude oil processed by above-designated-scale industries totaled 184.31 million mt, up 1.1% YoY. Natural gas production growth accelerated. In March, natural gas production by above-designated-scale industries totaled 23.4 billion m³, up 3.0% YoY, with the growth rate accelerating by 0.1 percentage points from January–February; daily average production was 750 million m³. In January–March, natural gas production by above-designated-scale industries totaled 68.1 billion m³, up 3.0% YoY. II. Power Generation Power generation by above-designated-scale industries grew steadily. In March, power generation by above-designated-scale industries totaled 802.5 billion kWh, up 1.4% YoY, with the growth rate pulling back by 2.7 percentage points from January–February; daily average power generation was 25.89 billion kWh. In January–March, power generation by above-designated-scale industries totaled 2,378.2 billion kWh, up 3.4% YoY. By category, in March, thermal power, hydropower, and solar power generation by above-designated-scale industries saw accelerated growth, while nuclear power and wind power shifted from growth to decline. Among them, thermal power generation by above-scale industrial enterprises was up 4.2% YoY, with the YoY growth rate 0.9 percentage points faster than that of January–February; hydropower generation was up 10.8% YoY, with the growth rate 4 percentage points faster; nuclear power generation was down 11.8% YoY, compared with a 0.8% increase in January–February; wind power generation was down 17.3% YoY, compared with a 5.3% increase in January–February; solar power generation was up 10.0% YoY, with the growth rate 0.1 percentage points faster than that of January–February.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Vietnam and Russia have signed an agreement in Moscow to develop Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant following talks between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The project includes two nuclear plants with a combined capacity of 400MW in former Ninh Thuan province (now Khanh Hoa), marking a major step in Vietnam’s long-term energy diversification strategy. The agreement is expected to strengthen cooperation in high technology, research, and industrial development, while supporting Vietnam’s rapidly rising electricity demand. The Government estimates that power consumption will increase by 12-13percent in 2025 and reach 1,200 billion kWh by 2045

The project is located in Oudomxay Province in northern Laos and was invested in and constructed by China General Nuclear Power Group. It was Laos’s first large-scale PV project. The project was officially commissioned at the end of 2025 and is expected to generate about 1.7 billion kWh of electricity annually on average. As an important supporting power supply for the China-Laos 500-kV transmission line for power interconnection, the clean electricity generated by the project will be transmitted to Yunnan through the China-Laos 500-kV interconnection project, supporting Yunnan’s energy transition and power supply security.

As a niche yet high-strategic rare metal, hafnium (Hf, atomic number 72) lags behind common metals like copper in public awareness, but its unique physicochemical properties make it irreplaceable for nuclear power, aerospace, semiconductors and other high-end fields. This concise breakdown covers its core traits, supply dynamics and critical applications to highlight its underrecognized role in advanced manufacturing. I. Core Properties A silver-gray, high-melting-point transition metal, hafnium exists solely as a zirconium-associated metal—no independent ore deposits. The near-identical atomic radius and chemical properties of zirconium and hafnium make separation/purification highly challenging, the root of its scarcity.Key strengths for harsh industrial use: 2233℃ melting point, exceptional high-temperature oxidation/structural stability Strong room-temperature plasticity, balanced strength and toughness Superior corrosion resistance (insoluble in dilute acids/alkalis, soluble only in hydrofluoric acid/aqua regia) ~600x higher thermal neutron absorption than zirconium (ideal for nuclear reactor control) High dielectric constant of hafnium oxide (critical for advanced semiconductors) Carbides/nitrides (melting point >2900℃) for ultra-high-temperature ceramics and hard alloys II. Supply & Scarcity Resources: Extremely scarce (crustal abundance ~3 ppm), exclusively tied to zirconium ores. Global resources concentrated in Australia, South Africa, the U.S. and Brazil; China faces low hafnium content in domestic zirconium ores, leading to high external dependence. Supply: Production hinges on zirconium smelting, with zirconium-hafnium separation as a core technical barrier. Only a handful of global players produce high-purity (nuclear/electronic-grade) hafnium at scale, forming an oligopoly. Annual output is ~hundreds of tons, with ultra-low supply elasticity—supply disruptions trigger sharp price swings. Ⅲ. Irreplaceable Core Applications Demand is rigid (no cost-effective substitutes) across high-end sectors: Nuclear Industry: Preferred material for pressurized water reactor control rods, regulating reaction rates and ensuring safety. Driven by global nuclear power revival, demand is steadily growing. Aerospace: Key nickel-based single-crystal superalloy additive, boosting high-temperature creep strength and lifespan for aero-engine turbine blades, combustors and rocket nozzles. Semiconductors: High-purity electronic-grade hafnium oxide overcomes silicon dioxide’s miniaturization limits, reducing leakage current and enabling advanced-node chip production—a key growth driver. Other High-End Fields: Used in cutting tool coatings, special electronic components, corrosion-resistant materials and emerging hydrogen storage research, with expanding use cases. Ⅳ. Conclusion Hafnium is a "scarce niche metal with rigid high-end demand," holding irreplaceable strategic value in China’s key industries (nuclear power, aerospace, semiconductors). The global market remains in long-term tight supply-demand balance, and its strategic and market value will rise alongside global advanced manufacturing upgrades.

In January-February, raw coal production of industrial enterprises above designated size (hereinafter referred to as industrial enterprises above designated size) remained stable, crude oil production turned from decline to growth, natural gas production maintained steady growth, and the growth rate of power generation accelerated. I. Production of Raw Coal, Crude Oil, and Natural Gas and Related Information The decline in raw coal production narrowed. In January-February, raw coal production of industrial enterprises above designated size was 760 million mt, down 0.3% YoY, with the rate of decline narrowing by 0.7 percentage points from December 2025; daily average production was 12.93 million mt. Crude oil production turned from decline to growth. In January-February, crude oil production of industrial enterprises above designated size was 35.73 million mt, up 1.9% YoY, compared with a decline of 0.6% in December 2025; daily average production was 606,000 mt. Crude oil processing maintained growth. In January-February, crude oil processed by industrial enterprises above designated size totaled 122.63 million mt, up 2.9% YoY; daily average processing was 2.079 million mt. Natural gas production maintained steady growth. In January-February, natural gas production of industrial enterprises above designated size was 44.6 billion m³, up 2.9% YoY; daily average production was 760 million m³. II. Power Generation The growth rate of power generation of industrial enterprises above designated size accelerated. In January-February, power generation of industrial enterprises above designated size was 1,571.8 billion kWh, up 4.1% YoY, with the growth rate 4 percentage points faster than in December 2025; daily average power generation was 26.64 billion kWh. By type, in January-February, thermal power generation of industrial enterprises above designated size turned from decline to growth, hydropower growth accelerated, while the growth rates of nuclear power, wind power, and solar power generation slowed. Specifically, thermal power generation of industrial enterprises above designated size was up 3.3% YoY, compared with a decline of 3.2% in December 2025; hydropower was up 6.8%, with the growth rate accelerating by 2.7 percentage points; nuclear power was up 0.8%, with the growth rate slowing by 2.3 percentage points; wind power was up 5.3%, with the growth rate slowing by 3.6 percentage points; solar power generation was up 9.9%, with the growth rate slowing by 8.3 percentage points.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) organized a cross-ministerial Focus Group Discussion (FGD) titled “Accelerating Human Resource and Institutional Readiness for the Development of the First Nuclear Power Plant” in Jakarta on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. The forum integrates five key dimensions of readiness (technology/standards, institutional/bureaucratic, etc.) and aligns with plans for Indonesia's first PLTN to operate in 2032 (initial capacity ~500 MW, possible sites in Sumatra or Kalimantan). BRIN also projects needing ~200 new nuclear researchers to support the ecosystem, with initiatives like competency standards, training centers (Nuclear Energy Management School), and scholarships.

According to a March 12 post on “Kegong Weibo,” the official account of the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, China announced its accession to the Triple Nuclear Energy Declaration at the second Nuclear Energy Summit held in Paris, France, on March 10, 2026. Jointly launched by 22 countries including France, the core goal of the Triple Nuclear Energy Declaration is to triple global installed nuclear power capacity by 2050 from its 2020 level, in order to help achieve global net-zero emissions around the middle of this century and the global temperature control target set out in the Paris Agreement.

Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, said on the 12th that the global installed capacity of nuclear power currently under construction had reached about 70 gigawatts, the highest level in 40 years.

According to a recent report by Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA), the company's sales of low-carbon aluminum products reached a record high in 2025. The sales volume of low-carbon aluminum products increased by 70%, reaching 196,000 mt. In 2025, EGA sold 109,000 mt of CelestiAL solar aluminum (including 36,000 mt of CelestiAL-R products containing recycled content), up from 84,000 mt in 2024. During 2025, EGA sold the first-ever batch of MinimAL low-carbon aluminum produced using nuclear power, while sales of RevivAL secondary aluminum rose from 31,000 mt in 2024 to 86,000 mt.