SHANGHAI, Jun 28 (SMM) – Fresh maintenance at Henan smelters lowered operating rates across primary lead smelters in Henan, Hunan and Yunnan provinces this week.
Rates across primary lead smelters in the three provinces averaged 53.9% in the week through June 28, down 7.1 percentage points from a week ago, an SMM survey showed.
Smelters of Yuguang and Minshan in Henan began maintenance this week, and this lowered the average rate in the province by 13.9 percentage points on the week, to 68.4%. Environmental probes affecting 30% of local crude lead production also dragged on the rate. Smelting capacity ran normally in Henan.
Primary smelters in Yunnan operated at an average rate of 39.5% and smelters in Hunan at 38.5%, both flat on the week.
SMM learned that Hechi Nanfang in Guangxi will resume next week. Lower prices of lead have delayed the recovery of some smelters to the second half of July.
Firm prices of raw materials failed to provide strong support to prices of secondary lead, whose spread between primary lead maintained at 150 yuan/mt, as consumption remained weak as of Friday June 28.
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