Nonferrous

• Fire-hit Aleris plant resumes full operations May 14, 2013

  Aleris International Inc.’s fire-damaged plant in Richmond, Va., has resumed full operations.

• Workers trapped at Freeport’s Grasberg mine after tunnel collapse May 14, 2013

  An unknown number of workers at PT Freeport Indonesia’s Grasberg copper-gold mine have been trapped after a tunnel in the underground training area collapsed, the company said May 14.

• BHP slashing fiscal 2014 capex May 14, 2013

  BHP Billiton Plc will cut capital and exploration expenditures in fiscal 2014 and expects more substantial cuts thereafter, chief executive officer Andrew Mackenzie said May 14.

• Spot aluminum premiums hold steady May 14, 2013

  Midwest spot aluminum premiums have remained largely unchanged over the past week despite continued and considerable disagreement over the direction of the market.

• India's Tata Steel to report $1.6B write-down May 14, 2013

  Indian steelmaker Tata Steel Ltd. will report a $1.6-billion noncash write-down of its assets for its fiscal year ended March 31.

• Globe Specialty Metals taps Ragan finance chief May 14, 2013

  Globe Specialty Metals Inc. has appointed Joseph Ragan as its new chief financial officer effective May 20.

• Constellium sees IPO netting $180M May 13, 2013

  Constellium Holdco BV expects to net approximately $180 million from an initial public offering, according to documents filed May 13 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• European Commission OKs Hydro, Orkla deal May 13, 2013

  The European Commission has approved a 50-50 joint venture between Norsk Hydro ASA and Orkla ASA, the companies announced May 13.

• Kennametal to buy tungsten processor Emura May 13, 2013

  Tool maker Kennametal Inc. said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the operating assets of Bolivian tungsten ore processor and exporter Comercializadora Emura SRL.

• Boleo Mine gets fund injection from Korea Resources May 13, 2013

  Baja Mining Corp.’s Minera y Metalúrgica del Boleo (MMB) copper-cobalt-manganese-zinc mining unit has received $65 million in construction funds from Korea Resources Corp., Baja said May 13.

• Some optimism seen in billet market May 13, 2013

  Market participants remain divided on whether the aluminum billet market is seeing an uptick in demand after a slow first quarter, with some contending that building and construction activity is picking up and others reporting little change in order entry rates.

• Energy, water issues weigh on Chile’s mining industry May 13, 2013

  Chile is expected to receive about $104 billion in mining project investment over the next 10 years, of which about $80 billion will go toward copper projects, the Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco) said.

• GlencoreXstrata copper output up 18% in 1st quarter May 13, 2013

  GlencoreXstrata Plc reported an 18-percent increase in copper output from its own mines in the first quarter vs. the same quarter last year due to a rise in production at its African operations.

• Investment in Peru delayed by social conflicts over water May 13, 2013

  Social conflicts over water reserves have deferred more than $7 billion in Peru’s project investments since last year.

• Latin American infrastructure woes barrier to mining May 13, 2013

  Latin America is the world’s most popular precious and nonferrous metals exploration destination, yet most countries in the region have recently suffered water and energy supply problems for their mining industries, according to a report released earlier this year by consultancy SNL Metals Economics Group.

• Brazil’s aluminum sector largely unfazed by tariff cut May 13, 2013

  Brazil’s aluminum industry will be largely untouched by a government electricity tariff reduction measure announced in January despite the sector’s demand for large quantities of energy compared with other fields.

• Amerigo reviews moly, cuts output forecast May 10, 2013

  Amerigo Resources Ltd. is conducting a "detailed economic review of molybdenum production under current prices" given the "minimal profitability" of its molybdenum operations in the first quarter, it said.

• Thompson Creek seeks moly price recovery May 10, 2013

  Molybdenum prices won’t improve without an economic catalyst to boost global demand, and Thompson Creek Metals Co. Inc. is unlikely to resume stripping at its namesake mine until prices improve, chairman and chief executive officer Kevin Loughrey told AMM.

• Royal Nickel inks royalty deal with Red Kite May 10, 2013

  Royal Nickel Corp. has signed a royalty purchase agreement with RK Mine Finance in which RK will acquire a 1-percent net smelter return royalty in the Dumont nickel project in Quebec for $15 million.

• Alcan hopes to remain involved in Sebree May 10, 2013

  Rio Tinto Alcan wants to continue to play a role selling metal produced at its smelter and cast house in Sebree, Ky., even after selling the operation to Century Aluminum Co. later this spring, according to a letter to customers.

• Cadillac lightweights luxury cars with aluminum, AHSS parts May 10, 2013

  Greater use of aluminum is helping Cadillac reduce overall weight of its ATS and CTS sedans, the luxury automaker said.

• Gill to join Aluminum Association May 10, 2013

  Timothy Gill will join the Aluminum Association as vice president of business information and statistics effective May 27.

• Chile’s copper output up 7.7% in 1st qtr. May 10, 2013

  Chile saw a 7.7-percent year-on-year increase in copper production in the first quarter of 2013 on larger volumes at Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco) and BHP Billiton Plc’s Escondida and Antofagasta Plc’s Los Pelambres projects.

• Ferroalloy price rebound unlikely before June May 10, 2013

  Spot ferroalloy prices have remained unchanged amid a continuing dearth of purchasing activity, with traders saying that it will probably be another month before third-quarter inquiries begin.