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Related party transactions
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related party transactions
Related party transactions
Our significant related party transactions occurring during the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 are described below. We believe that all of the transactions with our related parties were at prices that approximate market.
Glencore ownership
As of March 31, 2016, Glencore plc and its affiliates (together "Glencore") own 42.9% of Century’s outstanding common stock and all of our outstanding Series A Convertible Preferred stock. Through its ownership of our common and preferred stock, Glencore has an overall 47.5% economic ownership in Century Aluminum.
Sales to Glencore
We entered into an agreement with Glencore pursuant to which we agreed to sell, and Glencore agreed to purchase, substantially all of our primary aluminum production in North America for 2015 and 2016 on a take-or-pay basis at prices determined by reference to the Midwest Transaction Price plus additional negotiated product premiums. The current term of the agreement continues through December 31, 2016. In addition, we recently reached an agreement to sell Glencore approximately 24,500 tonnes of molten aluminum during 2017 at prices based on the Midwest Transaction Price.
We sell primary aluminum produced at our Grundartangi facility under a long-term sales contract through 2017 with Glencore at prices based on the London Metal Exchange ("LME") price for primary aluminum plus the European Duty Paid premium and any applicable product premiums. We also receive tolling fees from Glencore under tolling agreements that provide for delivery of primary aluminum produced at our Grundartangi facility through June 2016. The fee paid by Glencore under these tolling agreements is based on the LME price for primary aluminum plus a portion of the European Duty Paid premium.
Glencore purchases the aluminum we produce for resale to end users.
Purchases from Glencore
We purchase alumina from Glencore on both a spot basis and under a long-term supply agreement. Glencore has agreed to supply us with alumina under a long-term supply agreement through 2017 at prices indexed to the LME price of primary aluminum or based on a published alumina index. In 2015 and 2016 our purchases from Glencore have been based on a published alumina index.


Transactions with Baise Haohai Carbon Co., Ltd. ("BHH")
We own a 40% stake in BHH, a joint venture that owns a carbon anode and cathode facility located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of south China.  We purchase carbon anodes from BHH.  In the fourth quarter of 2015, we completed the construction of a second furnace at our carbon anode facility in Vlissingen, Netherlands. This investment increased our capacity to produce carbon anodes and significantly reduced the quantity of carbon anodes that we source from BHH. As a result, in the fourth quarter of 2015, we made the decision to pursue an exit from our investment in BHH and recorded an $11,584 impairment loss.
Summary
A summary of the aforementioned significant related party transactions for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 is as follows: 
 
 
Three months ended March 31,
 
 
2016
2015
Net sales to Glencore
 
$
280,377

$
575,729

Purchases from Glencore
 
44,013

107,814

Purchases from BHH
 
2,383

14,820