Kaz Minerals Q1 2025 Zinc Concentrate Production Down 19% QoQ Despite Grade Improvement

On April 30th, South32 raised the development cost estimate for the Taylor deposit at its Hermosa zinc-silver project in Arizona, US, and delayed the timeline. First-stage capital expenditure has increased by more than 50%, from $2.2 billion in the 2024 FS to $3.3 billion. First production has been delayed by one year to H2 FY2028, full production has also been pushed back to FY2031. Cost increase was mainly due to contractor underperformance, slower-than-expected construction productivity, scope changes, inflation, US tariffs and higher input costs. Progress on a key ventilation shaft is the main bottleneck now. But the company also noted that ore reserves at Taylor increased by 52%, mineral resources rose by 10%, extending the expected mine life from 28 years to around 33 years.

[Monthly Production Declined: Refined Zinc Faces Dual Pressure from Raw Material Supply and Costs] Overall, refined zinc production release in April and May fell short of expectations, mainly because as ex-China mine disruptions increased and China's ore recovery remained limited, TCs accelerated downward. Imported TCs have already dropped to $39.25/dmt, while China's weekly TCs broke below historical lows to 850 yuan/mt in metal content...

[Tibet Huayu 2025 Annual Report Released] On April 29, Tibet Huayu released its 2025 annual report. In 2025, the company completed zinc concentrates production of 21,300 mt in metal content, up 9.07% YoY, lead-antimony concentrates with silver content production of 19,000 mt in metal content, up 14.56% YoY, and gold concentrates of 1,002 kg, down 46.66% YoY.