Global Copper mine production capacity to rise to 26.5 MMT through 2019

UNITED KINGDOM July 27 2016 5:45 PM 

LONDON (Scrap Register): Copper mine production capacity through 2019 expects to reach 26.5 million at an average rate of about 4% per year in 2019. Copper concentrate production capacity will represent 83% of the growth while solvent-extraction/electrowinning capacity will represent 17%.

Production from countries started copper mining in the last decade is seen increasing to around 400,000 mt/year this year from zero in 2000. China's copper smelting capacity is expected to rise 1.5 million mt/year by 2019 although during 2000-2015 period capacity quintupled to around 4.7 million mt/year.

About 1.7 million mt/yr of the expansion is expected to come from electrolytic refineries and around 700,000 mt/year from SX-EW capacity. Electrolytic refinery capacity growth is projected to average 2%/year and is generally tied to the growth of smelter capacity.