Shandong kicks off provincial environmental probes

On the supply side: Due to large import losses, NORNICKEL nickel, Sumitomo, NIKKELVERK nickel and Nickel briquette could not pass customs clearance, the market was in shortage of pure nickel.

On March 11, Huang Runqiu, Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment visited Tangshan City in Hebei Province to inspect the implementation of emergency emission reduction measures for heavy pollution weather in steel enterprises.

The merger of Shandong Iron and Steel Group into Baowu Group has entered a substantive stage, and it is expected that there may be official news after CNY. The merger of Shandong Iron & Steel Group will lay a solid foundation for Baowu Group's capacity expansion in the north.

China’s copper cathode output increased month on month in October, as there was basically no maintenance at smelters and as large-scale smelters maintained high production in Q4. Although domestic copper scrap was in short supply in October, smelters kept relatively ample stocks of blister copper. Furthermore, as the new secondary copper policy took effect from November 1, concerns over copper scrap supply were eased.

The government of Fengrun district of Tangshan, China’s top steelmaking hub, has urged local steel companies to tighten production controls between 12:00 CST June 27 and 24:00 CST June 30, in the face of unfavourable weather conditions for dispersing air pollutants.

Last month, output of NPI in China extended its downtrend that began since November 2019, decreasing 4.46% from March to 40,200 mt Ni, some 12.25% lower than the same month a year ago, showed SMM data.

Companies which have achieved the emission standards and are in the "positive" list will be exempt from output restrictions amid smog alert.

Social stocks fell 2% from a week earlier to stand at 2.32 million mt as of Sep 12

In Shanxi, Liheng will halve production by suspending two blast furnaces

A roundup of China's base metals output in Jul 2019, from an SMM survey of major producers