Aluminum alloy futures move sideways; import losses continue to narrow [ADC12 Price Daily Review]

SMM, September 7 — ASX‑listed tungsten miner EQ Resources released its August operational update on September 1. The group posted total revenue of A$55.1 million, marking its second consecutive monthly revenue record.Consolidated tungsten production stood at 19,068 mtu in August, rising 34% month‑on‑month from July. Sales totalled 17,246 mtu at an average realised price of US$2,269 per mtu, subject to final assays and reconciliation. By mine: Spain’s Barruecopardo project produced 12,719 mtu, up 32% month‑on‑month and hitting an all‑time monthly output record for the site. It contributed A$35.2 million in revenue with an average realised price of US$2,368 per mtu. Australia’s Mt Carbine operation generated 6,349 mtu, a 38% month‑on‑month increase, bringing in A$19.9 million in revenue a

Chile's Caserones copper-molybdenum mine was previously affected by extreme winter weather, experiencing two winter storms that disrupted power supply and site access, causing an actual impact on mine production. The impact of this event has now carried over from a short-term operational disruption into full-year output expectations: Lundin Mining subsequently lowered its full-year copper production guidance for Caserones from the original 130,000–140,000 tonnes to 120,000–130,000 tonnes. By-product molybdenum output is expected to come under pressure in tandem, though a specific molybdenum production guidance figure has not yet been separately disclosed.

A government investigation into the August 13 collapse of a tailings storage facility at Samancor's Dikwena Chrome complex near Brits, North West, has found the facility was showing persistent seepages prior to the failure and that the collapse was reasonably foreseeable based on available evidence, according to a Notice of Orders issued by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources and reported by Daily Maverick. The department's findings also indicate the facility appears not to have been registered with the Department of Water and Sanitation, raising questions about compliance oversight at the site before the incident occurred. The facility, known as the Inyoni tailings storage facility, forms part of Samancor's Dikwena chrome plant complex and is operated by contractor One Chrome, a company reported to have no public website. The collapse sent slurry into the neighboring Eland mine, owned by Northam Platinum, which briefly closed an access road as a precaution. Updated reporting indicates one injury was recorded alongside no fatalities. Samancor Chrome itself is unlisted and is no longer a member of the Minerals Council South Africa, a body whose members commit to industry safety and governance standards. The findings add a regulatory compliance dimension to a case that had previously centered on the physical and environmental impact of the failure. South Africa's tailings storage facility guidelines date back to 1998 and are currently under revision, and at least one senior mining executive has said they were unaware of any operation that actually follows them, pointing to a broader industry gap in registration and compliance practices beyond this single incident. The scope of enforcement action beyond the Notice of Orders, along with the full extent of environmental damage and rehabilitation costs, has not yet been disclosed.