How Qinghai’s Silicon Plants Affected after Central Environmental Protection Team Arrives? SMM Reports

Prices of silicon material would continue to hover at high levels in the short term, according to industry insiders, citing the long construction cycle and the peak season for photovoltaic installations at the end of the year.    

Social inventories of silicon metal across Huangpu port, Kunming city and Tianjin port shrank 1,000 mt from the previous week to 24,000 mt as of Friday June 18, hitting a new low.

SMM data showed that China's silicon metal output stood at 189,000 mt in May, down 4.2% from the previous month.

SMM data showed that China's silicon metal output stood at 197,000 mt in April, down 2.4% or 5,000 mt from the previous month.

Silicon metal prices moved steadily in early March but trended lower in the last ten days of the month as stocks piled up at some silicon plants as trades weakened. Large output in Xinjiang and slower procurements from downstream aluminium alloy plants weighed on prices of silicon metal 553# with oxygen. Prices of other metallurgical-grade silicon metal followed lower, while chemical-grade silicon metal 421# was relatively firm due to smaller output. 

Operating rates at silicon metal producers in China gained 4.8 percentage points on the month to 55% in December, according to an SMM survey. This was 16.1% higher than the same period last year. Higher operating rates in Xinjiang, Fujian, Guangxi, Shaanxi and Hunan offset declined supply from south-west China amid a dry season.

The rate rose 1.7 percentage points from Sep to 46.9%, with production at 243,000 mt

China exported 68,000 mt of silicon metal in Jan, down 10.6% from a year earlier and 1.8% from a month earlier

Silicon #553 which has undertaken oxygen refining traded at 11,500-11,600 yuan/mt at Tianjin port

Rates averaged 33.7% in Jan, down 1.2 percentage points on the month and 2.2 percentage points on the year