China's output of copper concentrate surged 10.9% year on year to 1.85 million mt in 2016, but that of moly concentrate -- 45% pure moly -- fell 5% year on year to 287,000 mt, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a report on its website over the weekend.
The higher output of mined copper was attributed to the commissioning of new projects, including the 45,000 mt/day Zijinshan Gold & Copper Mine owned by Zijin Mining Group in Fujian province, and other projects in Anhui and Gansu provinces, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources.
The lower output of moly concentrate was attributed to less production in central and northwestern China.
Meanwhile, China's output of top 10 nonferrous metals hit 52.83 million mt in 2016, up 2.5% year on year. The country's production of refined copper and aluminum stood at 8.44 million mt and 31.87 million mt respectively in 2016, up 6% and 1.3% year on year, MIIT data showed.
China produced 4.67 million mt and 6.27 million mt respectively of refined lead and zinc in 2016, up 5.7% and 2% year on year.
The higher output of refined copper was attributed to demand from the power and vehicle sectors as well as the clean energy sector.
China produced 60.91 million mt of alumina last year, up 3.4% year on year. Output of copper and aluminum products hit 20.96 million mt and 57.96 million mt respectively, up 12.5% and 9.7% year on year, MIIT data showed.
