Silicon social inventories rose to 78,000 mt this week

SHANGHAI, Oct 16 (SMM) – Social inventories of silicon metal in China increased this week, as silicon plants in the southwest kept relatively high operating rates in a wet season.

SMM data showed that stocks across Huangpu port, Kunming city and Tianjin port expanded 1,000 mt from the previous week to 78,000 mt as of Friday October 16.

Silicon plants in Yunnan and Sichuan are likely to reduce production in the second half of November due to rising electricity charges, but this will be offset by output increases from large-scale Xinjiang plants. The trend of inventory buildup is likely to extend to mid-December.