Nepal’s First Ultra-Large Copper Mine Discovered, Ore Grade Extremely High

Korea Zinc recently said its subsidiary KEMCO began trial production of crude germanium products at Onsan, Ulsan, in August 2026. Mass production is scheduled to begin in Q4 2026, followed by commercial sales in Q1 2027. The company also plans to commence commercial production of 99.999%-pure germanium dioxide in H2 2027, significantly ahead of its original 2028 target. Korea Zinc also plans to expand its germanium production capacity through the Project Crucible integrated smelting complex in the US. Construction remains scheduled for 2027–2029, with completion and commissioning targeted for the end of 2029. The facility is expected to produce 13 strategic metals, including copper, lead, zinc, germanium, gallium and antimony. The accelerated KEMCO project, combined with the planned US facility, will further expand Korea Zinc’s role in germanium supply chains outside China.

[SMM Analysis: Countries Race to Retain Copper Scrap—Could Export Restrictions Undermine Domestic Recycling?] Countries are moving to retain copper scrap as supply security gains importance. Yet export restrictions could depress local prices and weaken collection if domestic sorting and processing capacity cannot absorb retained material. SMM expects wider regional price gaps, tighter supplies in import markets and a gradual shift from scrap trade to processed copper products.

[SMM Analysis: Simultaneous Tightness in Copper Concentrate and Scrap Slows Refined Copper Output Growth] China’s copper smelting industry is seeing a growing divergence between continued expansion in nameplate capacity and feedstock-constrained output growth. According to SMM data, China produced 1.147 million mt of copper cathode in August 2026, up 1.79% MoM but down 2.09% YoY.