SHANGHAI, May 21 (SMM) – 

 

SMM’s survey of 12 major secondary lead smelters reveals the average operating rate at the surveyed smelters during April was only 45.44%, down from 52.97% in March.

 

The average operating rate at large smelters with capacities above 150,000 mt/yr fell by 5.11percentage points to 53.76%, due mainly to the maintenance at Yuguang Gold & Lead. The average rate at medium and smaller smelters was 37.18% and 47.69%, respectively, down 9.66 percentage points and 8.83 percentage points MoM. 

 

SMM research points to secondary lead smelters having tried in vain to cut scrap battery prices. Scrap battery traders have shied away from selling at lower prices, restricting supply to the point that secondary lead smelters have had to raise their procurement prices by RMB 50-100/mt.

 

Hebei’s Environmental Protection Office has completed three months of inspections targeting pollutant discharges, closing 40 lead-related enterprises in Baoding in the process.