aluminium expo
9-11 July 2025
Hall N1-N4, Shanghai New International Expo Center

aluminium exhibition | Domestic electrolytic aluminium production leads the world as capacity shifts to green energy pockets

According to aluminium exhibition data, China's electrolytic aluminium production accounts for more than 50% of the world's production year-round. According to the calculation, as of July 2023, China's electrolytic aluminium production occupied 59.3% of the world. Year-on-year growth of 0.5%, the global electrolytic aluminium cumulative production of 39.910 million tonnes in January-July 2023, up 1.1% year-on-year. Domestic cumulative production of electrolytic aluminium was 23.665 million tonnes, up 3.1% year-on-year.

In September 2023, China's total electrolytic aluminium production capacity was 44.611 million tonnes, up 0.98% year-on-year and unchanged sequentially. China's electrolytic aluminium capacity in production was 43.028 million tonnes, an increase of 8.17% year-on-year and 180,000 tonnes sequentially. China's electrolytic aluminium capacity utilisation rate was 96.67, a slight increase YoY. China's electrolytic aluminium production in September 2023 was 3.577 million tonnes, an increase of 5.3% YoY. China's electrolytic aluminium production in the cumulative total of 30.808 million tonnes in the January-September period of 2023 was an increase of 3.3% YoY.

Electrolytic aluminium refers to aluminium products made from pure aluminium oxide as raw material, using electrolysis method and electrolytic aluminium melt. Electrolytic aluminium is a very important metal material, not only the price is relatively low, light weight, and the materials used are mostly renewable resources, very environmental protection.

Due to the supply-side reform + "double carbon" trend, the domestic electrolytic aluminium industry ushered in structural upgrading, and capacity replacement became the mainstream trend. In 2017, after the supply-side reform and rectification of illegal and irregular electrolytic aluminium production capacity, the domestic electrolytic aluminium new production capacity was strictly controlled. Only in 2017, the shutdown of illegal and illegal electrolytic aluminium production capacity under construction and built reached a total of 9 million tonnes, and completed the replacement capacity index of 4.164 million tonnes, and set the capacity ceiling.

The 2020 "double carbon" target puts forward, electrolytic aluminium plant to achieve low-carbon transformation, replacement capacity gradually to the hydropower-rich areas to transfer. Yunnan Province has a dense distribution of rivers and abundant hydropower resources. Hydropower is the main form of power generation in the province. In the southwest region, the proportion of hydropower in the power structure of Yunnan Province has reached 80%, ranking second in the country. It has already attracted a large number of aluminium factories to relocate there, thanks to its green power aluminium and low electricity price advantages.