Why did Norsk Hydro declare a second force majeure on Qatar aluminium sales?

Norsk Hydro declared a second force majeure because its Qatalum joint venture unexpectedly terminated the marketing agreement under which Hydro was responsible for marketing and selling Qatalum’s aluminium metal; Hydro disputed Qatalum’s right to terminate the contract, but Qatalum refused to withdraw the termination notice and confirmed it would not deliver metal under the relevant agreements, leaving Hydro unable to fulfil its sales obligations regardless of improvements in the Middle East situation.

What is the current operational status of the Qatalum plant, and how does it relate to Hydro’s force majeure declarations?

The Qatalum plant — a 648,000 metric tons per year facility jointly owned by Hydro (50%) and Qamco (50%) — remains partially operational at 60% capacity after regaining sufficient gas supply, but Hydro’s first force majeure (issued in early March due to war-related gas supply interruptions and Qatalum’s initial shutdown) remains in place; the second force majeure, issued on Friday, is unrelated to production capacity and instead stems solely from Qatalum’s termination of the marketing agreement, meaning Hydro cannot deliver Qatalum metal to its customers even though the plant is physically capable of producing it.

Norsk Hydro declares new force majeure on Qatar aluminium

Jun 12, 2026

Norsk Hydro declared a second force majeure on aluminum sales from its Qatalum joint venture in Qatar following the termination of a marketing agreement, disrupting supply obligations despite partial plant capacity recovery.

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Norsk Hydro declares new force majeure on Qatar aluminium

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