China Dec copper output at record, aluminium rebounds

Jan.20,2011（SHMET）--China's production of refined copper inched up 0.2 percent month-on-month in December to a record high on the availability of sufficient raw material.

Production of refined copper reached 444,000 tonnes in December, up from the previous high of 443,000 tonnes in November, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Thursday.

In 2010, refined copper output rose 12.2 percent to 4.79 million tonnes.

 "Copper concentrate supplies were sufficient and treatment and refining charges stayed at relatively high levels," Jinrui Futures analyst Fu Bin said, adding scrap, an alternative material for refined metal production was readily available in the Chinese market.

 Fu said repairs at China's top producer Jiangxi Copper <0358.HK> <600392.SS> in December had not greatly affected refined copper production.

    ALUMINIUM

 Primary aluminium production rose 2.9 percent to 1.21 million tonnes in December after it fell 2.5 percent in November.

But in 2010 output still rose 19.9 percent to 15.7 million tonnes thanks to expanded capacity in China, the world's top producer.

 Fu said extra output from new capacity in other provinces such as Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang had pushed up aluminium production in December and offset lower production in existing capacity that had been suffered from local lower power supplies.