Copper output losses mounting

Civil unrest in the area of the Bougainville mine has put that operation out of production since mid-May, while workers at Highland Valley went on strike in July.

Also, Metals and Minerals says troubles may be brewing at Minera de Cananea in Mexico and heavy rainfall is reported to have disrupted operations at the Ok Tedi mine in Papua New Guinea. These developments are making it tough on custom smelters, the research company says, especially on those smelter s in Japan which so far this year have imported 858,900 tonnes copper in custom concentrates. About 18.5% of those imports are reported to have come from Bougainville and Highland Valley.

The problems now being encountered in the custom copper concentrate sector will lead to a predicted surplus of concentrates turning into a deficit of at least 50,000 tonnes of contained copper, says Metals and Minerals.

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