According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry’s production dynamics statistics, the production of electrolytic copper experienced a decrease in 2023, marking the first decline in two years. Despite being lower than the previous year, the production volume remained consistent in the 1.5 million ton range for the fourth consecutive year, attributed to regular repairs at some smelters.
Zinc saw a second consecutive year of decline, and electrolead faced a fourth consecutive year of decrease. Notably, zinc fell below 500,000 t for the first time in 57 years (since 1966) due to a slowdown in domestic demand.
The production of electrolytic copper witnessed a year-on-year decrease of 3.4%, amounting to 1,504,209 t, while shipments saw a 1.9% y-o-y increase, reaching 1,441,601 t. Shipments marked a second consecutive annual increase, propelled by the second-highest recorded level of exports.
Zinc production dropped by 6.5% y-o-y to 483,276 t, with shipments also decreasing by 3.6% y-o-y to 489,815 t. This decline in both production and shipments persisted for the second consecutive year, attributed to production adjustments at certain smelters due to sluggish sales of galvanized steel sheets, a key product for the company.
Electrolytic lead production experienced a 10.3% y-o-y decrease to 173,038 t, and shipments declined by 4.3% y-o-y to 175,428 t. This production level marked its lowest since 1989, and shipments fell for the third consecutive year.
In December alone, the production of electrolytic copper reached 117,345 t, marking a 12.8% y-o-y decrease for the 10th consecutive month. Shipments for the same period were 113,980 tons, reflecting a 0.4% y-o-y decrease for the second consecutive month. Zinc production and shipments were 44,786 tons (down 4.9% y-o-y) and 39,809 t (down 13.6% y-o-y), respectively, showing a decline in both production and shipments for the first time in two months.
Electrolytic lead production increased for the second consecutive month to 17,963 t (up 5.7% y-o-y), while shipments decreased for the first time in three months to 15,221 t (down 0.2% y-o-y).
