In January 2026, both installed and operating capacities of domestic electrolytic aluminum remained high. As of the end of January, installed capacity reached 44.88 million tonnes per year, and operating capacity stood at 44.34 million tonnes per year, representing a month-on-month increase of 90,000 tonnes per year. Overall capacity scale remained stable, with a slight rise in operating capacity.
In early 2026, the 350,000-tonne-per-year Phase II electrolytic aluminum project at Zhahanuoer under China Energy Investment Corporation entered trial production. Upon full commissioning, the company's total electrolytic aluminum capacity will reach 1.61 million tonnes per year.In early January, Baotou Aluminum's No.1 Electrolytic Plant completed the startup of Potline 1182, with all 1,166 electrolytic cells in full operation and the production line running at full capacity.During the same period, capacity from Tianshan Aluminum's 1.4 million-tonne electrolytic aluminum green, low-carbon and energy-efficiency upgrading project was gradually released.
At present, domestic capacity is approaching the upper limit, with the industry operating rate remaining above 98%. Subsequent output release and capacity expansion are both nearing their limits.
After revision, January output was 3.786 million tonnes.February output is estimated at 3.421 million tonnes, up 0.6% year-on-year, with an average daily output of about 122,200 tonnes.
Figure 1: China's Electrolytic Aluminum Annualized Output
Data source: Antaike
From the perspective of overseas production, multiple projects were announced and restarted during the month.On January 13, the Slovak government planned to restart the Slovalco smelter, once one of Europe's largest primary aluminum producers, with a maximum capacity of approximately 200,000 tonnes per year.On January 15, Phase I of the 120,000-tonne electrolytic aluminum industrial park project of Huatong in Angola was successfully put into production.On January 26, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and Century Aluminum reached an agreement, under which Century Aluminum plans to acquire a 40% stake in an electrolytic aluminum smelter project planned by EGA in Inola, Oklahoma, USA. With Century Aluminum's participation, the planned capacity of the smelter has been raised from the previous 600,000 tonnes per year to 750,000 tonnes per year.
According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI),overseas electrolytic aluminum output in December 2025 was 2.529 million tonnes, down 0.1% year-on-year.The cumulative overseas output from January to December 2025 was 29.582 million tonnes, down 0.1% year-on-year.
Figure 2: IAI Overseas Electrolytic Aluminum Average Daily Output
Data source: International Aluminium Institute (IAI)