[SMM Aluminum Express News] Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, held a bilateral meeting with Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ryosei Akazawa, on the sidelines of the Indo Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum (IPEM) in Tokyo, Japan, March 15, 2026. A key outcome was the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation in two strategic areas: 1. Critical minerals (focusing on secure, sustainable supply chains for nickel, bauxite, lithium, rare earths, and others essential for batteries, EVs, and green tech). 2. Nuclear energy (covering technology transfer, human resource development, safety standards, regulatory alignment, and potential collaboration on small modular reactors or other advanced nuclear solutions).

In early March 2026, Qatalum—the 648,000-tonne-per-year primary aluminum smelter in Qatar, a 50/50 joint venture between Norsk Hydro and Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing Company initiated a controlled shutdown of production. The decision, effective from March 3, followed a warning from gas supplier QatarEnergy that natural gas deliveries would be fully suspended due to disruptions linked to the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, including attacks on regional energy infrastructure.

On March 11, the low-grade bauxite comprehensive utilization project in Wuchuan Autonomous County was fully completed. The project is located in Canglang Community, Zhuoshui Town, Wuchuan Autonomous County, with a total investment of 110 million yuan. After the project begins operation, it is expected to process 300,000 mt/year of low-grade bauxite and mine waste slag, produce about 160,000 mt/year of aluminum concentrate ore, and generate annual output value of up to 100 million yuan. It was understood that the aluminum concentrate produced by the low-grade bauxite comprehensive utilization project will be supplied directly to SPIC (Zunyi) Industrial Development Co., Ltd., gradually forming a closed-loop industry chain from mining and waste slag comprehensive utilization to deep process.

Cameroon Aluminum Ore Was Expected to Ship Ore in Q3 According to the latest project timetable, the company had confirmed that it would ship its first batch of bauxite ore in Q3 this year. Peter Secker, CEO of Canyon Resources, said: “With the smooth commencement of production at Minim-Martap in Cameroon, the introduction of a surface miner marked an important step. Bauxite mining operations would be rolled out intensively, and the company still expected to deliver its first batch of bauxite in Q3 this year. At the same time, we continued to advance logistics, offtake discussions, and downstream feasibility studies to maximize the long-term value of this globally significant tier-one high-grade bauxite project.”

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Jamaica has officially launched Phase VIII of the Bauxite Community Development Programme (BCDP), coinciding with the programme's 30th anniversary. The launch occurred on March 4, 2026, at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining’s playfield in Hope Gardens, St. Andrew. The BCDP, administered by the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) since its inception in 1996, reinvests revenues from the bauxite and alumina industry into communities affected by mining operations.

【SMM Port Inventory of Imported Bauxite】According to SMM's statistics on March 13, the total bauxite inventory at ten domestic ports was basically flat compared with the previous week，just increased by 10,000 mt from the previous week.

According to foreign media reports, Vedanta said on Friday (February 27) that, in the auction process organized by the Government of Odisha, the company had been declared the preferred bidder for the Karnapodikonda bauxite block. The Directorate of Mines and Geology of the Government of Odisha issued a “Notice Inviting Tender” on December 4, 2025, inviting parties to submit bids. Vedanta qualified in the initial bidding stage and participated in the online auction for the grant of the mining lease. The company received notice of the “Preferred Bidder Declaration” at 4:20 p.m. (Indian Standard Time) on February 27, 2026. The bauxite block was at the G2 exploration level, with a total area of 532.747 hectares.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] East Hope Group to be mentioned that they have reached an MoU to acquire 5 bauxite IUP in Indonesia from PT Bino Artomas Mineral Group. The 5 IUPs has never been on operation yet; however, geology review has been conducted in the Indonesian lab. It will cost around USD 200 - USD 250 mn for all 5 IUP with an area of more than 100,000 hectares in Ketapang, North Kayong, and Melawi. Current status: East Hope will gather geologist team to conduct the geology review again based on the Chinese lab. 5 IUP mentioned: PT Panca Raja Perkasa PT Cakra Internusa PT Rejeki Jaya Mandiri PT Bino Artomas Mineral PT Ridatama Cahaya Abadi

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Guinea Bauxite & Alumina Exports in January 2026. Ministry of Mines and Geology reports: Total bauxite 20.26 million tons; alumina 46,764 tons. Bauxite Highlights (top contributors): 1. SMB: 6.57 Mt (32 vessels) – leading exporter 2. Chalco: 2.64 Mt (14 vessels) 3. CBG: 1.64 Mt (28 vessels) 4. Zhicheng Guinee Mining/GBT: 0.94 Mt (5 vessels) 5. CDM China: 0.94 Mt (5 vessels) Other key volumes: 6. Cobad: 0.82 Mt 7. AMC: 0.79 Mt 8. BAM: 0.63 Mt 9. KBM: 0.58 Mt Alumina: 1. Friguia: 46,764 tons (2 vessels) – sole reported exporter

According to SMM's statistics on February 27, the total bauxite inventory at ten domestic ports increased by 2.12 million mt from the previous week.