Major events in the lead and zinc industry in 2020
The Shanghai Futures Exchange approved the registration of Yunnan Zhenxing Industrial "YUNSHA" Brand Lead Ingots
January 6, 2020: The last period announced that it agreed to register the "YUNSHA" brand lead ingots produced by Yunnan Zhenxing Industrial Group Co., Ltd. on the last period with a registered production capacity of 60,000 tons and the standard price. From the date of the announcement, the above products can be used for the performance delivery of related futures contracts on the Shanghai Futures Exchange.
Coeur suspends operations of the Silvertip project
February 24, 2020: Coeur Mining, a primary silver producer based in the United States, announced that the company's Silvertip silver-zinc-lead mine in northern British Columbia has temporarily suspended production, mainly due to low prices of lead and zinc.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the lead and zinc industry standard conditions to promote the high-quality development of the industry
March 3, 2020: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the "Lead and Zinc Industry Standard Conditions". Requirements, lead-zinc mines and smelting companies must comply with national and local industrial policies, mineral resource planning, environmental protection and energy conservation laws and regulations and policies, mining laws and regulations and policies, safety production laws and regulations and policies, industry development plans and other requirements.
Trevali suspends Canadian zinc mine
March 28, 2020: Trevali Mining's zinc-lead-silver mine in Caribou, Canada has temporarily suspended production due to the challenges posed by the proliferation of COVID-19, which exacerbated the problems caused by the weak zinc market. The company said that in the next two months, the one-time cost of transferring the mine to maintenance and repair mode is US$5 million, and the monthly cost thereafter is about US$500,000. Trevali said that as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and global decarbonization and electrification actions should push up the demand for industrial metals, long-term zinc demand is expected to recover soon.
Major overseas miners and smelters finalize the 2020 lead concentrate long-term TC
March 30, 2020: Japan's Mitsubishi and Tektronix Resources reached an annual lead concentrate long-term agreement, mainly for Tektronix Red Dog Mine. The processing fee was finally set at $175/dry ton, the highest level in the past four years. Silver refining fee It is 1.5 dollars per ounce. At the same time, Korea Lead and South 32 have finalized the annual long-term processing fee of lead concentrate at US$182.5 per dry ton, and the silver refining fee is US$1.5 per ounce, mainly for the Cannington mine in South 32. The processing fee is also At the highest level in the past five years.
Nexa Resources announces that its mines still suspend production
April 10, 2020: As Peru announced the extension of the national emergency quarantine period for 14 days to April 26, Nexa Resources announced that the production of its Cerro Lindo, Atacocha and El Porvenir mines is still suspended. Nexa said that mining activities will continue to be limited to critical operations, while the Cajamarquilla smelter will continue to operate at low speeds, and Brazil's mining and smelting plants will continue to operate normally. In 2019, Cerro Lindo's zinc output was 126,300 tons, lead output was 12,300 tons, Atacocha zinc output was 16,700 tons, lead output was 16,500 tons, El Porvenir zinc output was 54,700 tons, and lead output was 16,900 tons.
Huayu Mining's Keyue Lead Polymetallic Mine Mining Project was approved by the Development and Reform Commission of the Autonomous Region
May 9, 2020: The 400,000 tons/year mining project of Keyue Lead Polymetallic Mine in Longzi County, Tibet Autonomous Region, a subsidiary of Huayu Mining, has recently received approval from the Development and Reform Commission of Tibet Autonomous Region. The newly built scale of the project is 400,000 tons of mining stone per year. The main construction content includes the underground mining system, electrical and mechanical auto repair facilities, warehouses, water sources and water supply pipelines, comprehensive office buildings and other supporting facilities. The estimated investment of the project is 135.5 million yuan, and the mine service life is 16.5 years. Keyue Lead Polymetallic Mine has reserves of 7.0673 million tons of ore resources and 384,900 tons of lead, zinc and antimony metal resources. Among them, the amount of lead metal is 21,300 tons, with an average grade of 3.00%; the amount of zinc metal is 172,600 tons, with an average grade of 2.44%; the amount of associated antimony metal is 81,300 tons; the amount of silver metal is 711.8 tons, with an average grade of 100.72 g/ton.
Recyclex SA German lead plant files for bankruptcy
May 14, 2020: French metal producer Recyclex SA stated that its Weser-Metall lead production plant in Germany has filed for bankruptcy. The plant is the third largest lead smelter and the second largest lead recycling plant in Europe. Using 25% concentrate and 75% waste lead storage battery as raw materials, in addition to standardized production, it also produces special lead alloys according to customer requirements. The lead ingots produced are mainly used for starter batteries in the automotive industry and industrial technology applications. In 2019, the company produced 105,300 tons of secondary lead and 33,400 tons of secondary lead in the first quarter of this year.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment publishes the "Guidelines for Examination and Licensing of Hazardous Waste Lead Storage Batteries (Trial)"
May 21, 2020: In order to implement the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste" and the "Administrative Measures for Hazardous Waste Business Permits", further standardize the approval and post-license supervision of hazardous waste from lead storage batteries. The level of pollution prevention and control of waste lead batteries is formulated in this guide. This guideline is applicable to the review by the competent department of ecological environment on the application of hazardous waste business license (including first application, reapplication and application for renewal) by entities engaged in the collection, storage, utilization and disposal of waste lead storage batteries. The units engaged in the collection, storage, utilization, and disposal of waste lead storage batteries shall meet the relevant requirements of the "Technical Specification for Pollution Control of Waste Lead Storage Battery Treatment" (HJ 519), and apply for a hazardous waste business license in accordance with laws and regulations.
Belgium expands investigation of zinc miner Nyrstar
June 5, 2020: The Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) expanded the scope of its investigation of zinc producer Nyrstar NV in September to investigate the possible relationship between the company and Trafigura. Geneva-based Trafigura took over Nyrstar in early 2019 as part of the company's restructuring process that almost wiped out other shareholders. The investor eventually held a stake in a new company, which controls about 2% of Nyrstar's shares, and Trafigura holds the remaining shares. The Belgian financial services regulator first focused its investigation on whether Nyrstar provided shareholders with sufficient information about Trafigura’s offer.
Trevali's Santander mine suspended operations
June 27, 2020: Trevali announced that 19 workers at the Santander mine had tested positive for the new crown. The company has temporarily suspended the operation of the mine and factory, and more medical professionals will arrive at the Santander mine for other on-site inspections. The company said that it has not yet determined a timetable for restarting operations. In 2019, the Santander mine produced 32,100 tons of zinc and 5,200 tons of lead concentrate.
Development and Reform Commission: Lead-acid battery recycling will reach 70% by 2025
July 3, 2020: In order to prevent and control the environmental risks of waste lead batteries, recently, nine departments including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the "Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Waste Lead Battery Pollution" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan"). Carry out the prevention and control of waste lead storage battery pollution, the overall goal is to rectify the environmental pollution of the illegal collection and treatment of waste lead storage batteries, implement the extended producer responsibility system, and increase the standardized collection and treatment rate of waste lead storage batteries. At the same time, specific goals are also put forward: by 2020, lead battery manufacturers will achieve a standardized collection rate of waste lead batteries of 40% by implementing the extended producer responsibility system; by 2025, the standardized collection rate of waste lead batteries will reach 70%; by 2028 In 2015, the standardized collection rate of waste lead batteries reached more than 90%.
Chihong Zinc Germanium Tibet Xinhu Mine Obtained Mining Production System Safety Facilities Design Review Approval
July 8, 2020: Tibet Xinhu Mining Co., Ltd. received the Tibet Autonomous Region Emergency Management Department's approval for the design review of the safety facilities of the mining production system above the 5160 middle section of the Tibet Xinhudong Zhongla Lead-Zinc Mine. The approval of this approval indicates that Tibet Xinhu has the external conditions for the restoration of the underground production system. The Dongzhongla lead-zinc mine developed by Chihong Zinc and Germanium is located at an altitude of 5,160 meters above the sea level in Mozhugongka County, Tibet Autonomous Region. The design includes a 600,000 tons/year mining and dressing system. It is planned to build the first phase of 350,000 tons/year mining Choose ability. After the project is completed, Tibet Xinhu will become Chihong's fifth domestic modern lead-zinc mine with an annual output of more than 300,000 tons. The production capacity of Chihong's zinc-germanium lead-zinc mine will exceed 3.3 million tons per year. The company's own smelting resources supply The rate will rise to more than 75%.
Anhui New Energy Vehicle Power Battery Recycling Industry Alliance was formally established
July 29, 2020: The inaugural meeting of the Anhui New Energy Vehicle Power Battery Recycling Industry Alliance was held in Hefei. The conference reviewed and approved the "Articles of the Anhui Province New Energy Vehicle Power Battery Recycling Industry Alliance". Anhui Province started early in the new energy automobile industry and has built a relatively complete industrial system. At present, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in Anhui Province currently account for nearly 13% of the overall national market. In 2018, seven national ministries and commissions approved Anhui Province as a pilot province for the recycling of power batteries for new energy vehicles.
Xingye Mining announces the commissioning time of the second phase of Qianjinda Mining and Yinman Mining
August 5, 2020: At present, the 1.65 million tons/year polymetallic symbiotic ore project of Yinman Mining Phase II has completed the project approval, tailing pond environmental assessment, land pre-examination and other procedures. It is expected to be put into operation before the end of 2022. According to the current work progress, the Qianjinda mining tailings pond is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2020, and the 300,000 tons/year mining and dressing project of Qianjinda is expected to be put into operation at the beginning of the fourth quarter. After Yinman Mining resumes production and runs at full capacity, it can produce 180 tons of silver, 30,000 tons of zinc, 10,000 tons of lead, 7,500 tons of tin and 5,000 tons of copper. After Qianjinda Mining reaches production capacity, the company will have an annual production capacity of 310 tons of silver, 100,000 tons of zinc metal, 23,000 tons of lead metal, 7,500 tons of tin metal, 6,000 tons of copper metal, and 490,000 tons of iron metal.
"Aluminum-zinc" option peers set sail!
August 10, 2020: Aluminum options and zinc options are listed for trading, and the call auction will open at 8:55-9:00 on the same day. According to the listed benchmark price information announced in the previous period, on August 10, 288 aluminum options will be listed for trading, and the listed benchmark price will be in the range of 1 yuan/ton to 1,785 yuan/ton; zinc options will have 100 contracts listed for trading. The listed benchmark price ranges from 8 yuan/ton to 2461 yuan/ton. Aluminum options listed on the first day of AL2010, AL2011, AL2012 and AL2101 corresponding option contracts. On the first day of zinc options, option contracts corresponding to ZN2010 and ZN2011 were listed.
San Cristobal suspends operations for the second time due to South American coronavirus
August 25, 2020: San Cristóbal was named one of the world's largest producers of zinc, lead and silver. It said on Monday that due to the coronavirus outbreak, Bolivia’s San Cristobal mine has suspended operations for the second time due to the continued spread of the covid-19 virus in the landlocked countries of South America. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation of Japan. It previously suspended operations in March and then resumed production in May. The company added that it has performed physical examinations of its workers and contractors and is currently able to identify 168 suspicious cases, 41 of which have been confirmed. It has not yet been determined when work will resume. In March, due to the epidemic, work was suspended for 4 weeks, affecting 17,700 tons of zinc mine output and 4,500 tons of lead mine.
Minmetals Resources and Barminco extend mining contract
September 17, 2020: Minmetals Resources Co., Ltd. has signed an extended contract worth A$140 million with hard rock underground miner Barminco to extend Barminco's mining work at the Dugald River Mine in Queensland. The extension of the contract will enable Barminco to continue working at the Dugald River mine until 2022, and there will be two options to extend the contract for one year in the future.
China ENFI signed a feasibility study contract for the 300,000 tons/year zinc electrolysis project in Hobart, Australia
September 25, 2020: China Nonferrous Engineering Co., Ltd. and China Enfi Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. and Nyrstar Hobart successfully signed a feasibility study contract for the 300,000 tons/year zinc electrolysis project in Hobart, Australia. Hobart Zinc Refinery is the third oldest zinc refinery in the world. The plant uses traditional roasting + leaching + electrolysis to produce zinc. In recent years, the Hobart Refinery has faced problems such as operating scale and technology upgrade restrictions, as well as high operating and maintenance costs. Therefore, Nyrstar Hobart decided to use new technology to upgrade the Hobart Refinery. Nyrstar Hobart expressed the hope that ENFI China can successfully complete the feasibility study and deliver, and then achieve long-term cooperation in subsequent projects.
India Hindustan Zinc will build a smelter in Gujarat State
October 14, 2020: India's Hindustan Zinc Limited said on Wednesday that it plans to build a smelter in the western state of Gujarat, which may increase the company's zinc smelting capacity by a third. The company’s spokesperson said that the company’s annual zinc smelting capacity is 917,000 tons and the smelter is expected to start producing zinc in fiscal year 2024, adding that this smelter will be its second largest smelter.
International Lead and Zinc Research Group: Global supply of refined lead will exceed demand by 276 million tons
October 21, 2020: The International Lead and Zinc Research Group released the latest report stating that in 2020, the global supply of refined lead will exceed the demand by 276 million tons, leaving 192,000 tons in 2021. The International Lead and Zinc Research Group also predicts that the global demand for refined zinc will drop by 5.3% in 2020 and will rise by 4.2% in 2021. Global refined zinc production is expected to increase by 0.9% in 2020.
Hudbay predicts full recovery of copper and zinc production in Manitoba in December
October 26, 2020: Mining company Hudbay Minerals said on Monday that after completing its preliminary assessment of the truck lift accident that occurred in early October, the company expects that 777 mines in Manitoba will fully resume copper and zinc production in December . A preliminary video inspection showed that only the bottom of the derrick and the elevator were damaged, to a lesser extent. According to the latest production guidelines, copper production in the region in 2020 is expected to be 18,000-22,000 tons, and zinc production is expected to be 105--125,000 tons.
China's first ultra-low emission lead and antimony production line was put into operation in Hechi, Guangxi
November 2, 2020: The first domestic "bottom blowing + side blowing + fuming" triple furnace production line for brittle sulfur, lead and antimony mines was put into operation in Shengfu Smelting Co., Ltd., Daren Industrial Park, Hechi City Industrial Park. The production line collects more than 99% of the sulfur dioxide in the flue gas to make sulfuric acid, making sulfur dioxide emissions almost zero.
Mongolia's largest Chinese-funded polymetallic lead-zinc mine achieves full production and compliance
November 12, 2020: The Ulan Mine of Xinxin Company, which is wholly-owned by China Railway Resources Group in Mongolia, has completed a total of more than 900,000 tons of mining and processed ore this year, reaching the design capacity target; the produced lead, The amount of zinc and silver metal reached 13,200 tons, 19,200 tons, and 39.34 kg respectively. Technical indicators such as concentrate grade and comprehensive recovery rate all met the design requirements. The product quality met the quality standards of China and Mongolia. The goal of maintaining growth is the first time the company has achieved full production and compliance since it was put into operation in 2010. It will be of great significance to further deepen China-Mongolia friendly cooperation, drive local employment and promote local economic development.
China Mobile’s centralized procurement of class I lead-acid battery products, 7 companies including Leoch and Shuangdeng won the bid for China Mobile’s centralized procurement of class I lead-acid battery products, and 7 companies including Leoch and Shuangdeng won the bid
November 17, 2020: China Mobile announced the winning bidders for the 2020-2021 Type I lead-acid battery product centralized procurement project. Seven companies including Leoch Battery, Vision Power, and Shuangdeng Group won the bid. According to the procurement announcement issued by China Mobile, the procurement volume of China Mobile's Class I lead-acid battery products from 2020 to 2021 is 1.206.4 billion Ah. The project adopts a share bidding model, and the number of winning bidders is 5-7. In the end, the number of successful bidders for the project was 7.
Geological accident at Gamsberg zinc mine in Africa
November 18, 2020: Vedanta Zinc International (VZI), a subsidiary of Vedanta, suffered a geological accident at the Gamsberg zinc mine in South Africa. After 10 employees were trapped, all mining-related activities were suspended. The accident occurred at 1:15 am local time on Tuesday, and eight workers were rescued. The company said that locating and rescuing the remaining two workers is a “top priority”. Gamsberg was mined in early 2019, VZI holds 69.6% of its shares, and Exxaro Resources EXXJ holds 24.4% of its shares. The remaining 6% is held by the employee stock ownership plan.
Zhongjinling Nanfankou Mine's new beneficiation plant is about to open
December 1, 2020: The 37-day docking project of the new and old concentrators of the Fankou Lead-Zinc Mine of Zhongjin Lingnan Company (hereinafter referred to as "the docking project") was officially launched. The construction of the Fankou Lead-Zinc Mine Concentrator of Zhongjin Lingnan Company began in 1965. After many technical transformations, it basically reached a comprehensive production capacity of 180,000 tons of lead-zinc per year in 2008. However, since the technical transformation of the mine is carried out on the original basis, the equipment and facilities that have not been transformed have exceeded the service life, which has severely restricted the development of the enterprise. Therefore, the Fankou Lead-Zinc Mine, with the strong support of Zhongjin Lingnan Company, carried out a processing plant for 5000 Tons/day technical upgrading and transformation. The "Docking Project" is planned to last 37 days from December 1, 2020 to January 6, 2021.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology intends to revoke the announcement qualification of 11 lead battery companies
December 10, 2020: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Publicity Regarding the Announcement Qualifications of 11 Lead Battery Companies to be Revoked". In accordance with the "Administrative Measures for the Lead-acid Battery Industry Standard Announcement (2015 Edition)", the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology implements dynamic management of enterprises that enter the standard announcement list. After review, 11 enterprises including Tianjin Tangqian Storage Battery Co., Ltd. no longer meet the requirements of the specification and plan to revoke their qualification for announcement. If you have any objections, please give a written feedback to our department (Department of Consumer Goods Industry) within 10 working days from the date of publication.
Mexico initiates sunset review of anti-dumping against our steel and zinc alloy handles
December 17, 2020: According to the Ministry of Commerce, the Mexican Ministry of Economy issued an announcement, deciding to initiate an anti-dumping sunset review investigation on steel and zinc alloy handles originating in China.
ILZSG: The global lead market is short of 8,000 tons in October
December 17, 2020: According to data from the International Lead and Zinc Research Group, the global lead market was short of 8,000 tons in October 2020 and 300 tons in September. From January to October, the global lead supply surplus was 164,000 tons, compared with a shortage of 42,000 tons in the same period last year.
ILZSG: Global zinc market oversupply rose to 52,900 tons in October
December 17, 2020: According to data from the International Lead and Zinc Research Group, the global zinc market oversupply in October 2020 rose from 38,900 tons in September to 52,900 tons. The global zinc supply surplus was 480,000 tons from January to October, compared with a shortage of 216,000 tons in the same period last year.
Great Panther will restart its Mexico Topia gold-silver-lead-zinc mine
December 18, 2020: Great Panther stated that it expects to restart its Topia gold-silver-lead-zinc mine in Mexico on December 21. The mine was suspended last month due to 19 cases of the new crown virus. The company stated that the shutdown lasts approximately 30 days and is not expected to affect the company's ability to achieve comprehensive production guidance in 2020. For the three months ended September 30, 2020, Topia produced an average of approximately 1,400 equivalent ounces of gold per month, accounting for approximately 9% of the company's revenue. The Tucano and Guanajuato mines of Great Panther are still operating.
Announcement on the issuance of 8 standards (including standard amendments) including "Emission Standards for Lead and Zinc Industrial Pollutants" (GB 30770-2014) amendments
December 25, 2020: In order to implement the "Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China" and "The Water Pollution Prevention Law of the People's Republic of China", improve the quality of the ecological environment, and prevent environmental pollution, the "Electronic Industry Water Pollutant Discharge Standard" is now approved as a national pollution It approved the amendments to the "Emission Standard of Pollutants for Lead and Zinc Industry" (GB 25466-2010), and was jointly issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the State Administration for Market Regulation.
A thick lead-zinc ore body discovered by the Zhejiang Longquan exploration project of the third team of Jiangxi Nonferrous Geological Exploration Team
December 28, 2020: Recently, good news came from the Tangshang Lead-Zinc Polymetallic Mine Exploration Project in Baoxi Township, Longquan City, Zhejiang Province, undertaken by the third team of Jiangxi Nonferrous Geological Exploration Team. The construction of the ZK1604 borehole was exposed to a thickness of 78.8 meters. Lead-zinc ore body. The project was launched in May of this year. Up to now, more than 12,000 meters of drilling footage, as well as geological mapping and surface and mountain engineering have been completed. Seven lead-zinc ore bodies have been initially circled. Among them, the V1 ore body has a controlled extension of 1,650 meters and a depth of more than 400 meters. The scale of the ore body can reach large-scale, and the effect of the mine is the best. The body thickness reaches more than 10 meters, the mineralization is even, and the grade is good. The current geological work has been highly recognized by Party A.
