Primary lead smelters operating rate edged higher as Henan’s Jiyuan lifted red smog alert

SHANGHAI, Jan 3 (SMM) – Operating rates across primary lead smelters in Henan, Hunan and Yunnan provinces averaged 59.8% in the week ending January 3, up from 59.6% in the previous week, according to a SMM survey.

The operating rate returned to levels seen in the two weeks before last, as the major producing hub of Jiyuan, in Henan province, lifted the red alert for heavy smog.

This week, the average operating rate for primary lead smelters in Henan inched up 0.4 percentage point from last week to 70.7%, while the rate in Yunnan and Hunan remained unchanged at 43.8% and 51.6%, respectively.

During the Lunar New Year holiday which falls during end January, Hunan Yuteng plans to conduct maintenance, but the timeline for the maintenance remains uncertain. Other primary lead smelters like Jiangxi Copper’s are likely to trim output during the holiday, which is expected to ease supply pressure.