Eivind Kallevik
Analyst · New Fortress, do you expect to issue indicative EBITDA scenarios or some kind of cost guidance in the November Capital Markets Day based on around spot LNG prices
Thank you, Gihle, and good morning from me as well. So let me start with safety as we always do. Our injury and high-risk incident rates remain at low levels, but the development over the last year is somewhat worrying. Both the TRI and the HRI rates are creeping up from the record lows that we recorded -- reported a few quarters ago. In response to this, we are intensifying our efforts towards our target of 0 injuries and high-risk incidents. And for me, safety really starts with our responsibility to ensure that everybody working for Hydro returns home safely every day. But it is also closely linked to operational excellence because staying sharp on safety helps us prevent incidents, allowing us to spend more time on improving our operations and less time on responding when things go wrong. Now the third quarter was characterized by continued strong operational performance across most of our business areas as well as good progress on our strategic agenda. The adjusted EBITDA for the quarter came in at NOK 9.1 billion with free cash flow coming in at NOK 1.4 billion. That is affected by higher metal prices, associated working capital requirements as well as some timing effects that we will come back to. While this development reflects the current market environment, improving the cash conversion and working capital efficiency remains a clear priority for us going forward and into the fourth quarter. At Alunorte, decisive action enabled us to restore regular operations following the temporary gas disruption in gas supply in August. However, higher energy costs will continue to affect the refinery going into the fourth quarter. Also, happy to announce that we produced our first aluminum at our HalZero test facility, an important milestone towards our ambition of eliminating CO2 emissions from electrolysis and from anode consumption. At the same time, commercial momentum for our recycled and low-carbon offerings continues with new agreements and customer partnerships in both the European as well as the U.S. market. We also signed 2 new power purchase agreements this quarter with Statkraft and Valborg Energy, securing an additional 8.9 terawatt hours towards 2040 and further strengthening our long-term power position. Alumina production remained stable despite the gas supply disruption, while our Norwegian smelters achieved record high liquid metal production. Power production was somewhat lower this quarter, largely reflecting the hydrological conditions, while extrusion delivered sales volume growth. As such, adjusted ROCE came in at 12.5%, well above the target of 10% over the cycle. So let me turn to Alunorte, where we took decisive action to address the disruptions to our gas supply in August. Following supply constraints from CELBA, Hydro was forced to temporarily reduce alumina production to around 50% of capacity. We secured regulatory approval to import gas directly and reached a temporary agreement for access also to the LNG terminal. This, together with spot LNG purchases, enabled us to begin ramping up production back up quickly towards full capacity again. However, maintaining operations came at a cost with gas purchases at prices substantially above the previously contracted levels. The financial impact in the third quarter was approximately $85 million. And for the fourth quarter, we estimate an impact of between $90 million to $110 million from the gas price differential. This estimate is based on TTF forward curves and remains subject to changes in gas prices, production levels and other relevant factors. Our main focus moving forward is securing a long-term solution that strengthens our supply on competitive terms. Looking beyond the operational challenges in Brazil, the rest of the system delivered good progress and operational agenda. On the commercial side, our customer partnerships show how low carbon and recycled aluminum can translate into new applications and strengthen our premium position. Together with Siemens Mobility, we are developing the train-to-train pilot, recycling aluminum from decommissioned trains into material for new rail components. This brings together our recycling and extrusion capabilities to increase circularity in large infrastructure projects. We are also making progress with leading automotive and consumer brands in the U.S. as well as in Europe. And I will elaborate on these on the next slide. Finally, we have secured new CIRCAL offtake in the U.S. with a large automotive supplier. This metal will be produced at our Cassopolis plant in Michigan as well as at our Henderson plant in Kentucky. Operationally, our Norwegian smelters delivered a record liquid metal production, up 6% year-on-year. Also, in extrusions, we saw volumes increasing by 3%, and we delivered strong recycling results. Finally, competitive renewable power remains fundamental to our position. And with the PPAs finalized this past quarter, we have already secured around 90% of our Norwegian baseline power consumption in the 2030s. And we will continue to pursue additional long-term supply to strengthen competitiveness and to enable future low-carbon aluminum growth. So let me elaborate on 3 developments that we are particularly proud of, where leading brands are choosing Hydro's low carbon and recycled aluminum. So this quarter, we have signed a strategic partnership with CHANEL Fragrances & Beauty to develop the next generation of low-carbon aluminum packaging. And together, we will work on reducing emissions, strengthening traceability and exploring increased recycled content without compromising quality and design. And for me, this is a low-volume, but high-impact partnership. And the significance really goes beyond the tonnes, which we have to admit, and in all honestly, is quite limited. In the U.S., General Motors' new car Cadillac OPTIQ will feature a front bumper system made with Hydro CIRCAL from Cassopolis. Working together with automotive supplier, Shape Corp., we are bringing aluminum containing at least 75% post-consumer scrap into a safety-critical automotive application. Likewise, Mercedes-Benz will become the first automotive company in Europe to integrate Hydro CIRCAL into series production for its next generation of large electric vehicles. And this really builds on our existing collaboration on low-carbon primary aluminum and extends the partnership further into recycling. Both Mercedes-Benz and GM are high-impact examples of how partnerships can help solve demanding technical challenges when bringing high levels of post-consumer scrap into safety-critical components. And getting there requires moving beyond what we see as a traditional supplier relationship. It means working together on specifications and metal chemistry without compromising strict requirements for material quality, safety and performance. And these partnerships also make a broader point, and that is that trust has a commercial value because, when brands like these choose Hydro, they put their own reputation behind that choice. And that trust is earned through quality, reliable delivery and how we conduct our businesses. Their expectations for lower emissions, traceability and recycled content challenge us also to keep improving. And these partnerships really reinforce my confidence in the long-term opportunities for low carbon and recycled aluminum and in our ability to turn our strength into real business opportunities. And on that note, we have also reached an important milestone in the HalZero project, where we have produced the first aluminum using the HalZero process. And for me, this is an important milestone, providing the core technology, proving the core technology beyond the lab-scale tests that we have already succeeded with. HalZero takes a fundamentally different route from today's production technology, converting alumina into aluminum chloride before we do the electrolysis. The long-term ambition, of course, is to eliminate CO2 emissions from both electrolysis and anode production, releasing oxygen instead. And producing this first metal is an important step. Still, we have several years of testing and piloting remaining before potential industrial scale deployment. And we have to admit the first batch is not totally emission-free as the testing of the CO2 or split to CO will commence at the later stage. The next step is now to develop an industrial concept pilot with the ambition of bringing all the necessary process stages together. Additionally, we have also been granted NOK 82 million in soft funding for concept development and planning of the industrial pilot by Enova. Going forward, there are still several milestones to pass before the technology is ready for broad use. However, this one gives us an important foundation for continuing pushing forward on this technology path. For several years, the story of European industry has largely been one of closures and declining competitiveness. But this quarter, Slovalco began moving in the opposite direction. Now, following the agreement announced in July, the restart began in late August, bringing back primary capacity curtailed during the European energy crisis in 2022. The first phase targets 75,000 tonnes of annual capacity by the end of February next year. What made this possible was a combination of political will, a long-term power agreement and a more predictable framework for compensation of indirect carbon costs in Slovakia. And in many ways, Slovalco would demonstrate that Europe's industrial decline is not inevitable because many of the challenges facing European industry are shaped by political choices and better choices can help turn the trend. One restart does not resolve Europe's industrial challenges overnight, but it does show that competitive energy and the predictable framework conditions can bring investment and production back. And for me, that's really what Slovalco represents, a concrete example of European industry investing and rebuilding when the conditions are right. Now let's then have a look at the alumina market. In the third quarter, the PAX increased throughout the quarter, reaching $370 per tonne, up from $330 per tonne at the end of the second quarter. This diverged from Chinese alumina prices, which moved downwards as new refinery capacity came online. The Chinese market became increasingly oversupplied with prices close to marginal cash production costs. Outside China, the market also remained oversupplied during the quarter despite lower production at certain Indonesian refineries facing raw material supply challenges. For the full year, the estimated global surplus has narrowed to 1.3 million tonnes compared with the 1.6 million tonnes we presented last quarter. Now, if we look ahead into 2027, the global surplus is expected to narrow further to around 200,000 tonnes with a deficit of around 600,000 tonnes outside China. The Atlantic differential remained at record levels and is currently around $45 per tonne. A further development to watch is the bauxite supply from Guinea, which is approximately half of China's alumina production -- is approximately half of what China's alumina production depends on. Guinea's government is considering restriction on annual export volumes, but no formal announcement has been made as of today. We then move to the aluminum market. The Middle East situation continued to influence the market during the third quarter. And last quarter, we described the sharp correction in prices as expectations for supply improved. In the third quarter, renewed tensions contributed to prices moving higher again. The 3-month aluminum price ended the third quarter at $3,170 per tonne, up from $3,085 at the end of the second quarter. Global primary aluminum consumption was slightly higher in the third quarter this year compared to last year. That was really supported by a 3% growth in Asia. Consumption ex China, however, is estimated to have declined somewhat. And the global market for 2026 is still expected to be undersupplied. And the estimated deficit is now around 700,000 tonnes, down from just under 1 million tonnes presented last quarter. This reflects an estimated surplus of 1.1 million tonnes outside China, more than offset by a deficit of 1.8 million tonnes in China. Looking into 2027, the balance is expected to shift to a global surplus of around 1.4 million tonnes as the surplus outside China increases. Regional premiums remain elevated. The U.S. Midwest premium remains around $2,400 per tonne, broadly in line with the level that we saw at the end of the second quarter. European duty-paid premiums ended third quarter largely unchanged at $555 per tonne compared with the $558 per tonne at the end of the second quarter. So overall, the market remains tight this year with geopolitical developments continuing to influence prices, while the estimated balance points to increased supply availability in 2027. Then finally, let's have a look at the downstream markets, where demand expectations remain challenging in certain areas in the quarter. In Europe, CRU estimates that the extrusion demand increased by 1% year-on-year in the third quarter following marginal growth in the second quarter. Automotive demand remained positive, supported by continued growth in battery electric vehicle production. Non-automotive transportation also turned positive after a weak start of the year, where building and construction has remained broadly flat. In North America, demand increased by just 0.2% year-on-year following a decline in the first half. And this is somewhat weaker than the recovery anticipated last quarter. Commercial transportation continued to grow, supported by improving truckload rates. Industrial demand also remained solid, partly supported by pull from the data center development. Automotive demand in North America, however, remains subdued, reflecting continued headwinds in the electric vehicle production. Now, looking ahead, CRU has revised down its full year outlook. Europe is still expected to see modest growth, while North America is now expected to see a slight decline compared with the growth anticipated last quarter. CRU has also revised its historical North American demand estimates, changing the comparison base. And with that, I'll hand it over for Trond Olaf for the financial update for the quarter.