SHANGHAI, Dec 6 (SMM) – China refined zinc production continued its increase in November, hitting new highs, on the back of capacity recovery and new projects.

SMM data showed that China produced 530,800 mt of refined zinc last month, up 0.29% from October and 16.31% from November 2018. This brought production in the first 11 months of 2019 to 5.31 million mt, with a year-on-year increase of 8.71%.

On the backdrop of enticing profits, smelters remained productive and companies such as Guangdong Zhongjin Lingnan Nonfemet and Yunnan Chihong Zinc & Germanium rapidly ramped up to full capacity after recovering from maintenance.

The commissioning of the third production line of Hanzhong Zinc Industry also contributed to the production expansion last month.

The increase in production, however, was capped by routine maintenance at Henan Yuguang and Wenshan Zinc & Indium.

Production of refined zinc in China is expected to increase by 1.37% to 538,100 mt this month, standing 19.98% higher than a year ago. Production is likely to stand at 5.85 million mt in 2019, up 9.66% from 2018.