2016 SMM Summit: China Lead Concentrate Production Suffers Greatly from Environmental Protection Inspections in 2016

Published: Nov 15, 2016 15:09
Lead concentrate production in China has been greatly affected by stricter environmental protection inspections in 2016, SMM lead analyst said at SMM 2016 China Metals Summit (CMS) in Shanghai.

SHANGHAI, Nov. 15 (SMM) – Lead concentrate production in China has been greatly affected by stricter environmental protection inspections in 2016, SMM lead analyst said at SMM 2016 China Metals Summit (CMS) in Shanghai.

Chinese government launched two rounds of large-scale environmental protection inspections in July and October, respectively, and almost all main producing areas of lead concentrate were on the list of inspections, SMM survey finds.

Collections of Stories in Base Metal Market at SMM 2016 Annual Summit

“Some of mines have suspended production for environmental factor, a leading factor behind the big drop in China’s output of lead concentrate in 2016,” SMM lead analyst told the attendees at the summit from Nov. 10-11. 

According to SMM data, capacities of lead concentrate having been cut totaled 135,850 tonnes in 2016, and newly-increased capacities were 117,000 tonnes, with actual increases merely 17,000 tonnes. 

TCs for domestic lead concentrate fell by nearly 1,200 yuan per tonne (Pb content) from the level seen in early 2016, based on SMM data.

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