Light Metal Age (LMA) strives to be at the forefront of the major trends in worldwide aluminum manufacturing. By looking back at the most viewed articles and news stories that we published on our website, we hope to highlight the major trends and developments from the previous year.
In 2025, these stories reveal a distinct interest in the shifting landscape of U.S. primary aluminum, the continued advancement of giga-casting for the automotive sector, and the magnesium market. As with previous years, sustainability and recycling also remain topics of key interest to our readers.
U.S. Primary Aluminum
For decades, the U.S. primary aluminum industry has seen declining primary aluminum production, primarily due to high electricity costs. However, both Century Aluminum and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) have proposed new investments in greenfield smelters in the U.S., which could shift the primary aluminum landscape. Either new smelter will represent the conststruction of the first primary aluminum plant in the U.S. in more than 45 years.
Decline of U.S. Primary Aluminum Production and the Growth of Secondary Aluminum by Alton Tabereaux, Contributing Editor – The U.S. was once ranked as one of the top primary aluminum producing countries in the world — but since the 1990s, has experienced a rapid and dramatic decline. This article provides an overview of the growth and decline of the U.S. primary aluminum industry, as well as how the growth of Chinese production affected this decline. In addition, this article looks at the growth of secondary aluminum and future trends for the industry.
Century Enters Phase One of DOE Agreement for a New U.S. Smelter – In January, Century Aluminum initiated Phase One of its Green Aluminum Smelter Project, as part of its four-phase agreement under a Department of Energy (DOE) grant initiative, originally granted in March 2024. Aluminum is a critical material for U.S. infrastructure and is used in a wide range of industries, from automotive to defense to architecture.
EGA Selects Oklahoma for a Historic $4 Billion Investment in a New Aluminum Smelter – In May, EGA signed an MOU with Governor Kevin Stitt to locate the proposed $4 billion greenfield smelter in Oklahoma. “The United States has been an important market for EGA for several decades, and we know there is strong demand for our high-quality metal ‘Made in America’,” said Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, chief executive officer of EGA.
Giga-Casting
Automakers continue to be interested in the development of giga-castings, due to their ability to merge multiple components into a single large structure, which reduces overall weight. However, some technical challenges still remain.
Giga-Castings in the Automotive Industry: An Updated Review by Alicia Hartlieb and Martin Hartlieb, Viami International Inc. – Since the giga-casting industry trend was initiated by Tesla in 2020, first with die casting machines of 6,000 t locking force, more and more automotive OEMs have been adopting it with increasing sizes being achieved. This article provides insight into the current development of the giga-casting industry around the world. It also addresses the challenges facing the industry and explores its anticipated potential growth.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the lightest structural metal and has great potential value for a multitude of industries, so there is ongoing interest in its potential growth.
Global Magnesium Market: Supply, Demand, and Future Outlook by J.P. Weiler, Meridian Lightweight Technologies, Inc. – In the last several years, the global magnesium market has undergone significant changes in the supply and demand of both primary magnesium and magnesium overall. In 2023 and 2024, significant global changes have been seen, primarily regarding U.S. supply. China remains the dominant player in primary magnesium production, although its production has experienced fluctuations due to policy shifts and economic factors. This article reviews the supply dynamics, trade complexities, and future outlook of the global magnesium industry.
Sustainability & Recycling
In the face of growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly aluminum products, the aluminum industry is working to improve the sustainability across its value chain — from primary aluminum to downstream production to recycling.
Carbon Free Aluminum Production with Inert Electrodes for Clean Energy Storage and Production – Arctus Aluminium, based in Iceland, has been focused on addressing direct emissions in the aluminum smelting process. The company is working on the development of a smelting process that utilizes inert anodes, which are able to produce oxygen instead of CO2 as in the conventional smelting method. In addition, the company has joined the European REVEAL project, which aims to revolutionize energy storage by considering aluminum as a powerful energy carrier.
AMAG Conducts Industrial Trials with Hydrogen to Advance Decarbonization by S. Tichy, K. Büchner, S. Wibner, and H. Antrekowitsch, Montanuniversität Leoben, Chair of Nonferrous Metallurgy; and P. Pucher and B. Prillhofer, AMAG casting GmbH. – AMAG Austria Metall AG successfully conducted largescale industrial trials utilizing hydrogen as an energy carrier in its two casthouses. Firstly, hydrogen was employed in a rotary tilting furnace to melt low-grade scrap with the addition of salt. Secondly, clean scrap was melted with hydrogen in a single-chamber furnace to produce a 5xxx wrought alloy. This article provides an overview of the trials and discusses their results.
Novelis Focuses on Recycling and Low Emissions with New Sustainability Strategy – Novelis Inc. is a leader in the production of flat rolled aluminum products and is considered to be the world’s largest recycler of aluminum. Recently, the company announced its new 3×30 sustainability strategy, through which the company will continue its efforts to build a circular economy by partnering both with its suppliers, as well as its global customers in automotive, beverage packaging, and other industries. During the ALUMINIUM show in Düsseldorf, Germany, in October, Light Metal Age spoke with Emilio Braghi, executive vice president, Novelis Inc. and president, Novelis Europe, about the company’s new sustainability strategy and its focus on “shaping a sustainable world together.”
Hydro Moves Forward with Plasma Technology Project by Kevin Widlic, Contributing Editor. – Hydro is moving closer in its work to reduce fossil energy sources at its aluminum casthouses through the use of plasma technology. Positive laboratory scale trials coupled with simulation data have put the company on track to embark on a pilot project at its Casthouse Reference Center in Sunndal, Norway. This article provides an overview of plasma technology and the research and testing that Hydro is conducting.
Recycled Aluminum Can Anodize Just Like Primary: Process Control and Alloy Knowledge Matter More Than Trace Elements by Dr. Anne Deacon Juhl, AluConsult and AnodizingSchool. – A previous article explored why recycled aluminum still faces challenges, why these challenges are linked to trace elements (such as Zn, Cu, and Fe), and why the real solution lies not only in cleaning up scrap streams, but also in ensuring that the virgin aluminum used is produced with the lowest possible CO2 footprint. Since around 75% of all aluminum ever made is still in use, the pursuit of 100% recycled material remains a long-term goal. In the meantime, the industry can make a meaningful difference by carefully selecting aluminum produced with renewable or low-carbon energy sources, as explained in this updated article.