China’s refined nickel output dropped 0.21% from March to 13,000 mt in April. Operating rates across nickel smelters remained unchanged on the month at 59%, down 7 percentage points from a year ago.

An SMM survey showed that China produced 878,100 mt of copper cathode in April, rising 2.05% from March and 7.29% from a year ago.

According to customs data, China imported 10,407 mt of refined nickel (including unwrought unalloyed nickel with the total amount of nickel and cobalt ≥99.99% and cobalt ≤0.005%, and other unwrought unalloyed nickel) in January 2021, a month-on-month decrease of 12.41%, but a year-on-year increase of 31.82%.

Inventories of refined nickel in the Shanghai bonded areas decreased 1,500 mt from a week ago to 11,300 mt as of March 26, showed SMM data.

The Development and Reform Commission of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the Energy Bureau have issued the Several Measures to Ensure Control of Energy Consumption recently. Local lead and zinc concentrate mines and refined zinc smelters have been required to control their energy consumption which cannot exceed the level in the same period last year.

An SMM survey showed that China produced 821,800 mt of copper cathode in February, rising 2.89% from January and 20.31% from a year ago, as some copper smelters recovered from maintenance.

An SMM survey showed that China produced 798,300 mt of copper cathode in January, falling 7.39% from December, but rising 9.97% from a year ago.

An SMM survey showed that China produced 798,300 mt of copper cathode in January, falling 7.39% from December, but rising 9.97% from a year ago.

China’s NPI output rose 3.27% from December to 38,600 mt Ni in January. This included 31,600 mt Ni of high-grade NPI, up 5.74% on the month, and 7,000 mt Ni of low-grade NPI, down 6.58% month on month.

SMM survey showed that China produced 862,000 mt of copper cathode in December, rising 4.9% from November, and 7.01% from a year ago. China’s copper cathode output totalled 9.3 million mt in 2020, up 3.97% from 2019.