According to a Mysteel survey of 22 sampled enterprises across China, refined nickel production in China reached 31,760 tonnes in June, down 5.90% month-on-month and 7.98% year-on-year. From January to June, the cumulative production stood at 205,923 tonnes, a year-on-year decrease of 2.10%. Current equipment capacity among Chinese refined nickel producers is 52,265 tonnes, with operating capacity at 49,515 tonnes, an operating rate of 94.74% and capacity utilization of 60.77%.
Refined nickel production continued to decline in June. Two large-scale producers in Gansu and Quzhou saw little change in production, with a slight overall decrease. A medium-sized producer in Xinjiang completed maintenance and returned to full production. Small and medium-sized producers in Zhoushan, Jingmen, Ganzhou, and Qinzhou mostly reduced production due to sharp falls in nickel prices, with some selling raw materials or nickel sulfate for better economics. Some producers maintained production but held back from shipping.
In July, China's refined nickel production is estimated at 31,440 tonnes, down 1.01% month-on-month and 13.03% year-on-year.
Written by Cora Ji, jiruyan@mysteel.com
