Kazakhstan alumina and unwrought aluminium fell by 8.7 percent Jan-Nov

　　Kazakhstan's refined copper and

　　gold output rose in January-November 2012, while production of

　　alumina, zinc and steel fell compared with the same period last

　　year, data from the State Statistics Agency showed.

　　Production of refined copper rose by 7.9 percent

　　year-on-year to 332,620 tonnes in the January-November period,

　　while refined gold output rose by 27.6 percent. The central bank

　　is purchasing all of the gold refined in Kazakhstan.

　　Production of refined zinc slipped 0.2 percent to 292,314

　　tonnes and of alumina and unwrought aluminium fell by 8.7

　　percent to 1.6 million tonnes.

　　London-listed miners Kazakhmys and ENRC, as

　　well as Glencore-controlled Kazzinc, account for a

　　large part of Kazakhstan's metals production. ArcelorMittal

　　owns the country's only major steel plant.

　　The steel plant in Temirtau faced a sudden shock to demand

　　this year when Western financial sanctions on Iran closed the

　　door on a market that accounted for a considerable portion of

　　its sales last year.

　　Official data showed that Kazakhstan's overall production of

　　crude steel fell by 21.0 percent year-on-year to 3.55 million

　　tonnes.

　　The State Statistics Agency provided the following data for

　　Kazakhstan's non-ferrous, steel and precious metals output in

　　its latest monthly bulletin:

　　2012

　　Nov         Oct       Jan-Nov

　　REFINED COPPER (tonnes)  31,166      31,355      333,620

　　mth/mth pct change        -0.6       -10.1            -

　　yr/yr pct change          +2.2        +7.6         +7.9

　　REFINED ZINC (T)         26,602      27,357      292,314

　　mth/mth pct change        -2.8        +5.8            -

　　yr/yr pct change          +1.2        -0.1         -0.2

　　ZINC CONCENTRATE (T)     34,500      35,600      338,900

　　mth/mth pct change        -3.1       +28.1            -

　　yr/yr pct change         +24.5       +13.7        -10.2

　　ALUMINA AND UNWROUGHT

　　ALUMINIUM (T)          131,250     147,101    1,601,561

　　mth/mth pct change       -10.8        -5.5            -

　　yr/yr pct change         -18.0       -11.1         -8.7

　　BAUXITE (T)             390,400     464,600    4,852,000

　　mth/mth pct change       -16.0        -1.9            -

　　yr/yr pct change         -17.0        +0.2         -3.1

　　FERRO-ALLOYS (T)        146,638     150,885    1,576,943

　　mth/mth pct change        -2.8        +5.0            -

　　yr/yr pct change         +13.0        +9.5         +2.9

　　CRUDE STEEL (T)         242,695     272,278    3,552,615

　　mth/mth pct change       -10.9       -28.9            -

　　yr/yr pct change         -37.8       -30.3        -21.0

　　LEAD CONCENTRATE (T)      4,900       4,300       34,800

　　mth/mth pct change       +14.0       +72.0            -

　　yr/yr pct change         +69.0       +26.5         -2.5

　　REFINED LEAD (T)          6,722       6,526       80,831

　　mth/mth pct change        +3.0        -2.8            -

　　yr/yr pct change          -2.9       -30.7        -22.5

　　REFINED GOLD (kg)         1,958       1,860       19,350

　　mth/mth pct change        +5.3        -8.1            -

　　yr/yr pct change         +51.5       +39.4        +27.6

　　REFINED SILVER (kg)      86,352      84,455      877,422

　　mth/mth pct change        +2.2        +5.0            -

　　yr/yr pct change         +57.9       +52.7        +49.2