This Morning in Metals: Aluminum Association reiterates support for Section 232 aluminum tariff exemptions

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This morning in metals news, the Aluminum Association sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer restating its support for exemptions to the Section 232 tariffs on imported aluminum, ground preparation has begun for a new electric vehicle battery cell production facility in Lordstown, Ohio, and the E.U. has disbursed a loan of €75 million to ArcelorMittal for its work on technology to reduce carbon emissions.

Industry group cites support for aluminum tariff exemptions

One year year after the U.S. removed tariffs on aluminum imported from Canada and Mexico, the Aluminum Association sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in support of exemptions to the Trump administration’s Section 232 tariffs.
“The U.S. aluminum industry depends on a reliable source of Canadian primary aluminum, which has been a key part of the domestic supply chain and national security apparatus for decades, to meet demand for these aluminum products,” Aluminum Association President and CEO Tom Dobbins said. “Even if every U.S. aluminum smelter was operating at full capacity, aluminum manufacturers would still require a mix of domestic and imported primary aluminum as well as secondary production to meet the demands of U.S. manufacturers and consumers for aluminum products. Fully 97 percent of U.S. aluminum industry jobs are in mid-and-downstream production and processing, and these jobs – as well as many more at U.S. aerospace, automotive, and other advanced manufacturing firms – depend on reliable aluminum supplies from our USMCA trading partner.”

Work begins on EV battery cell factory

A joint venture between General Motors and LG Chem — called Ultium Cells LLChas started construction on an electric vehicle battery cell production facility in Lordstown, Ohio.
“During the pandemic, product development work on GM’s future EV and AV portfolios continues to progress at a rapid pace,” GM said in a release. “The Cruise Origin was revealed in San Francisco earlier this year, and production timing remains on track for the yet-to-be-revealed Cadillac Lyriq and GMC HUMMER EV, all powered by the Ultium battery system.”

E.U. sends loan to ArcelorMittal for carbon emissions reduction technology

The E.U.’s European Investment Bank has sent a loan of €75 million to steelmaker ArcelorMittal to help it scale up technology geared toward the reduction of carbon emissions.
“The European Investment Bank (EIB), with the support of the European Commission, has granted a EUR 75m loan to ArcelorMittal for the construction of two ground-breaking projects at ArcelorMittal Ghent, Belgium, to considerably reduce carbon emissions by converting waste and by-products into valuable new products, helping to develop low-carbon steelmaking technologies, in line with the EU’s climate objectives,” ArcelorMittal said in a release.

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