Domestic Selenium Prices Jump

SHANGHAI, Jan. 20 (SMM) -- This week, domestic selenium prices experienced a sharp rise. Mainstream traded prices of selenium powder reached in the RMB 590-630/kg range, and mainstream traded prices of selenium dioxide were also in the RMB 450-460/kg.

Since prices climbed steadily in overseas market due to tight supply, and supply of spot goods was tight as domestic suppliers with goods on hand were quite reluctant to move goods, prices of selenium kept on rising. It was reported, demand of selenium increased due to development of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells in Europe and the US, and CIGS thin-film solar cells producers in Europe and the US sought selenium in South Korea, Japan and other regions with higher purchasing prices than domestic purchasers. Therefore, supply of selenium was not only tight in Europe but also tight in South Korea and Japan as well as other regions. In this context, selenium prices kept on climbing both in domestic and overseas market.

SMM believes, as the raw material of selenium powder, anode mud is produced during the smelting process of hydro-copper. However, output of hydro-copper is limited due to tight supply of ore, and output of anode mud will unlikely increase. Therefore reduced supply trend of selenium in domestic market is unlikely to change as growth speed of demand is far quicker than growth speed of output. It is expected that prices of selenium still have room to climb in the short term under the context of stable demand but tight supply.
 

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