SMM, December 27:
According to a survey by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), the weekly operating rate of secondary lead in four provinces from December 21 to December 27 was 27.88%, down 7.32 percentage points WoW. On Sunday evening, Anhui province issued another smog-related production restriction notice, leading to production cuts and shutdowns at local secondary lead smelters, which caused a 14.6 percentage point decline in the regional operating rate. Although Henan and Jiangsu provinces also experienced heavy pollution weather orange alerts during the week, local smelters reported that it only affected vehicle transportation, while production remained basically stable. In Inner Mongolia, some smelters expressed intentions for maintenance, but the specific shutdown dates are still under observation, and the regional operating rate remained stable this week.
