Nonferrous

• Century’s power rate request denied Dec 17, 2012

  Century Aluminum Co.’s request for reconsideration of a proposed power agreement at its idled Ravenswood, W.Va., smelter has been denied by the Public Service Commission (PSC) of West Virginia.

• Teck ruled liable for Wash. river pollution Dec 17, 2012

  Teck Metals Ltd., a subsidiary of Teck Resources Ltd., is liable for alleged environmental damage caused to Washington state’s Upper Columbia River, a U.S. District Court in eastern Washington ruled Friday.

• US tin premiums stable Dec 17, 2012

  The spot tin market has been seasonally slow and is unlikely to pick up until the beginning of January, traders and tin buyers told AMM Monday.

• Noranda Income Fund OKs higher capex, zinc output Dec 17, 2012

  Noranda Income Fund expects to boost zinc output by about 1 percent to 265,000 tonnes next year and spend Canadian $46 million ($46.7 million) on capital investments, up C$19 million ($19.3 million) from 2012, it said Monday.

• Inmet plans $500M notes issue for Cobre Panama project Dec 17, 2012

  Inmet Mining Corp. intends to raise $500 million in a senior notes offering in order to fund the development of its Cobre Panama copper project, the company said.

• Ormet smelter unaffected by minor blast, Tanchuk says Dec 17, 2012

  An explosion at Ormet Corp.’s Hannibal, Ohio, aluminum smelter did not impact production, the company’s top executive told AMM.

• Glen Kassan to retire as H&H chief Dec 17, 2012

  Handy & Harman Ltd. chief executive officer Glen M. Kassan is retiring effective Dec. 31.

• First Quantum ups bid for junior miner Inmet Dec 17, 2012

  Global copper miner First Quantum Minerals Ltd. says it plans to make an unsolicited Canadian $5.1-billion ($5.2-billion) offer for Toronto-based copper and zinc miner Inmet Mining Corp.

• SEC approves JPMorgan copper ETF Dec 17, 2012

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given JPMorgan Chase & Co. the go-ahead to list and trade shares in a physical copper exchange-traded fund (ETF) in a move that will come as a blow to a group of key copper consumers.

• Ball acquires Envases, forgoes joint venture Dec 14, 2012

  Ball Corp. has completed its acquisition of Envases del Plata SA de CV, a producer of extruded aluminum aerosol packaging.

• JCI, EnerSys ink deal on lead sourcing Dec 14, 2012

  Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) and EnerSys Inc. have signed a memorandum of understanding to "explore strategic sourcing opportunities" for lead battery materials.

• Imports, exports of brass mill products fall Dec 14, 2012

  U.S. exports of brass mill products fell to less than 20.1 million pounds in October, down 7.7 percent from the same month last year, while imports declined by around 1 percent to 38.8 million pounds, according to Copper and Brass Fabricators Council data.

• Physical copper ETFs would ‘wreak havoc’: Luvata’s exec Dec 14, 2012

  Financial instruments such as physical copper exchange-traded funds (ETFs) will "wreak havoc" on the market, distorting prices and increasing volatility, according to a senior executive at one of the world’s largest consumers of the metal.

• Deeper discounts seen on FeV deals for ‘13 Dec 14, 2012

  Ferrovanadium contracts for 2013 have largely been settled, and sources say that discounts to published prices have fallen from last year.

• High-carbon ferrochrome prices rise Dec 14, 2012

  High-carbon ferrochrome prices have strengthened on an uptick in spot business and as sellers pushed for higher numbers this past week.

• Flat-rolled aluminum alloys under pressure Dec 14, 2012

  Imports of certain flat-rolled aluminum common alloys are taking business away from domestic mills, service center sources told AMM.

• Glencore’s Rosh Pinah site to use Luderitz for exporting Dec 13, 2012

  Glencore International Plc’s Rosh Pinah zinc and lead subsidiary in Namibia will ship concentrates through the port of Luderitz in the southern part of the country starting next year in a bid to ease logistical constraints at the port of Walvis Bay.

• Xstrata delays Philippines copper project by 3 years Dec 13, 2012

  Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), a Philippines-based subsidiary of Xstrata Plc, has delayed production targets by three years to 2019 at its Tampakan copper-gold project in the South Cotabato region.

• Aurubis records flat profits as product earnings decline Dec 13, 2012

  Hamburg, Germany-based copper producer Aurubis AG posted flat net income in its fiscal-year 2012, as stronger treatment and refining charges and recycling throughput offset an 80-percent decline in product earnings, the company said Thursday.

• Glencore, Xstrata merger delayed Dec 13, 2012

  Glencore International Plc has extended the deadline for its merger with Xstrata Plc by one month after delays in regulatory approvals pushed the timelines out, Glencore said Tuesday, Dec. 11.

• Chilean copper cathode export premiums log rise Dec 13, 2012

  Spot market premiums for Chilean Grade A copper cathodes reported a weighted increase of $7.10 per tonne in October compared with the preceding month, reaching an average of $77.40 per tonne, according to figures from the Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco).

• FerroAtlántica to cut silicon, FeSi output in South Africa Dec 13, 2012

  FerroAtlántica Group SA will cut silicon and ferrosilicon production in South Africa by 15,000 tonnes each amid difficult market conditions and a national energy-saving initiative, the company announced Wednesday, Dec. 21.

• Alcoa opens first wheel plant in China Dec 13, 2012

  Alcoa Inc.’s wheel and transportation division officially opened its first fully integrated wheel manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China, Thursday.

• Aluminum alloy prices rise with LME Dec 13, 2012

  Prices for A356.2 and C355.2 aluminum alloys bumped up this week, which participants attribute to the recent rise in the London Metal Exchange aluminum price.