MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. Rusal increased its aluminum production by 4.5% year-on-year to 2.01 million tonnes in January-June 2026, the company said in a statement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Meanwhile, bauxite output for the six-month period rose 13% to 10.905 million tonnes, while alumina production climbed 7.6% to 3.658 million tonnes.

Aluminum sales for the reporting period dropped 10% year-on-year to 2.06 million tonnes. Rusal's capital expenditures in the first half of 2026 also decreased by 7.8% year-on-year to $652 million.

According to the report, global primary aluminum production in the first half of the year edged down 0.1% year-on-year to 36.4 million tonnes.

At the same time, production in China for January-June 2026 grew 2.4% year-on-year to 22.37 million tonnes, reaching an annualized rate of 45.1 million tonnes.

"In the rest of the world (excluding China), production decreased by 4.0% year-on-year, to 14.1 million tonnes, due to capacity closures in the Gulf region," the report said.

Demand in the rest of the world (excluding China) fell 1.8% year-on-year to 13.6 million tonnes, while demand in China ticked up 0.3% year-on-year to 23 million tonnes.

Rusal is the largest aluminum producer outside China and the sole producer of primary aluminum in Russia. Rusal's largest shareholder with a 56.88% stake is En+ Group, founded by Oleg Deripaska. SUAL Partners holds a 25.52% stake, and the free float stands at 17.6%.