China Silicon-manganese Alloy Output Up in February, Forecast for March

SHANGHAI, Mar 9 (SMM) – China produced 937,400 mt of silico-manganese alloy in February, up 0.25% MoM and 2.55% YoY, according to SMM statistics.

From January to February 2023, the silico-manganese alloy output in China was 1.87 million mt, an increase of 4.54% year-on-year.

According to SMM survey, the main reason for the output growth is that the silico-manganese manufacturers in south China that had shut down before CNY holidays resumed production, raising operating rates.

Operating rate in north China remained high thanks to healthy profit.

In addition, some of the furnaces restarted operations after maintenance in February.

However, considering that the actual number of days in February has decreased compared with January, the national production of silico-manganese increased only slightly compared with January.

Entering March, the electricity tariff in Guangxi was raised, the resultant high cost of silico-manganese and actual demand having not improved suppressed the production enthusiasm of the producers. Some plants have halted production in March, and some are also expected to cut or suspend production in the near term. Power shortages in Xingyi, Guizhou province, driven by local power grid issues, have also affected production.

The output of alloy is projected to fall to around 921,700 mt in March.