SHANGHAI, May 24 (SMM) – Primary lead smelters in Henan, Hunan and Yunnan provinces maintained regular operation in the week ended Friday May 24, and this kept their average operating rate unchanged on the week.
Operating rates across primary lead smelters in the three provinces averaged 59.5% in the week through May 24, flat from a week earlier.
This week, primary smelters in Henan operated at an average rate of 76.6%, smelters in Yunnan at 36.9%, and Hunan smelters at 45.2%.
Shuikoushan smelter in Hunan planned to put its production lines of crude lead into maintenance in June. Refining capacity will run regularly, but a lower supply of crude lead is expected to affect output of refined lead. Environmental checks suspended most local producers of crude lead.
In Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, environmental impact continued across small secondary lead smelters this week. Low profit margins also kept medium-sized and small secondary smelters operating at lows. This depressed output of secondary lead and prevented further declines in lead prices.
As of Friday May 24, prices of secondary lead stood close to those of primary lead.
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