With China’s southern provinces suffering the worst weather conditions in 30 years in January, many mines and smelters are reported to have shut down, particularly in Hunan and Jiangxi. The two provinces accounted for over 20% of China’s tin production last year.
In Hunan one source reports that all mines and smelters are currently closed. Hunan produced just over 26,000 tonnes of refined tin in 2007 according to provisional CNIA data, 17% of national production. In Jiangxi (4% of national output last year) several small mines and smelters are also reported to be closed.
In the two largest tin producing provinces, Yunnan and Guangxi, there has been relatively little disruption, although interruptions to power supplies and transport problems have caused some concerns in Guangxi.
The weather problems precede China’s Spring Festival holiday, which starts this week, when many producers and consumers schedule plant shutdowns.
