Eased environmental checks rally operation of licensed secondary lead smelters

SHANGHAI, May 31 (SMM) – Licensed smelters of secondary lead across Anhui, Henan and Jiangsu provinces operated at higher rates in the week to Friday May 31 as the impact from environmental curbs waned. 

SMM data showed that the operating rates across licensed secondary lead smelters across the three areas averaged 51.5% in the week ended May 31, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous week.

Rates across smelters in Henan averaged 67.4%, up 5.3 percentage points on the week as Henan Jinli restarted the production line it suspended last week due to the shortage of battery scrap. All two production lines of the plant are currently under full operation. 

Operating rates across Jiangsu’s smelters held firm at 50% this week. However, the average rate in Anhui lost 0.6 percentage point on the week to 40.7%, as equipment failure halted operation at Anhui Huaxin at the start of the week. The plant also suspended purchases of battery scrap as feedstock. 

This week, smelters in the Taijiang industrial park of Guizhou province recovered as environmental inspections ended.