NANNING, May 25 (SMM) – The tightness of global zinc and lead concentrate is likely to ease from this year onwards with new capacities and recovered capacities, according to Lian Chuanshuang, general manager of Tibet Huayu Mining.

About 664,000 mt of zinc concentrate output are estimated to be added in the international market in 2018 and 683,000 mt in 2019, according to data that Lian shared at the SMM Lead Zinc Summit on Friday May 25 in Nanning, Guangxi province.

In China, newly added capacities for zinc concentrate is expected to stand at 272,000 mt in 2018 and 192,000 mt in 2019, with actual output to grow at 150,000 mt each year.

Global zinc concentrate output is estimated to grow 814,000 mt in 2018 and 833,000 mt in 2019, Lian predicted.

In 2018, lead concentrate output in the international market is expected to increase 117,000 mt with output in China up about 70,000 mt. This will bring the global lead concentrate output to see an increase of 187,000 mt in 2018. In 2019, the year-on-year increase is estimated to stand at 249,000 mt in the international market and 28,000 mt in China, Lian added.

Lead and zinc concentrate miners saw profits jump over the past couple of years as prices of lead and zinc rose.

Lian added that he expects to see more consolidation in the lead and zinc industry as China pushes ahead with its environmental protection policies and supply-side reform.

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