Vietnam produces first locally refined aluminum
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On July 26, the Đắk Nông Aluminum Electrolysis Plant in Lâm Đồng Province, Vietnam, produced its first ingots of primary aluminum refined through domestic electrolysis, achieving a purity of 99.71 percent.
This marks the completion of Vietnam’s bauxite-alumina-aluminum chain after eleven years of development. The plant, a pilot project with a total investment of over 18.423 billion đồng (approximately $720 million USD) on nearly 130 hectares, will initially operate at 150,000 tons per year.
The facility plans to increase capacity to 300,000 tons by the end of the year and reach its designed capacity of 450,000 tons annually in 2027. Currently, Vietnam imports an average of $1.5 billion worth of aluminum each year for use in mechanical engineering, construction, and general consumer goods. At the launch event, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Phan Văn Giang affirmed that mastering electrolysis technology represents a historic milestone for domestic aluminum production.
Giang stated that this development will spur Vietnam’s metallurgical industry to develop processing and manufacturing industries, gradually increasing self-sufficiency and competitiveness. Vietnam holds an estimated 5.8 billion tons of bauxite reserves, primarily located in Lâm Đồng. Tây Nguyên, and establishing an aluminum production industry will create a stable input market for related industries like rolling, drawing, casting, extrusion, alloy production, and aluminum product manufacturing.
The province of Lâm Đồng overcame policy obstacles, electricity costs, and infrastructure issues to achieve this production.
