China’s Xinye Launches New Aluminum Plant in Ethiopia

Chinese steelmaker Xinye Special Steel has begun operations at an aluminum plant in Ethiopia with an annual production capacity of 180,000 tons. Located in the Gada Special Economic Zone, the facility is designed primarily to supply Ethiopia’s domestic market and reduce reliance on imported aluminum. The plant uses an electrolytic process to produce aluminum from alumina derived from bauxite. However, Ethiopia lacks major bauxite reserves and does not produce alumina commercially, meaning the facility will rely on imported raw materials. The project comes as Ethiopia seeks to expand aluminum production, with a separate 500,000-ton facility planned under a memorandum with Russia’s Rusal. The projects could eventually make Ethiopia a leading African producer and, powered by Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam electricity, a supplier of low-carbon aluminum to Europe and Asia.