According to the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Department of Raw Materials Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the operation of the aluminum industry in 2018 and the operation of the lead and zinc industry in 2018.
Operation of the aluminum industry in 2018
In 2018, China's aluminum industry deepened the supply-side structural reform, strictly controlled the new capacity of electrolytic aluminum, promoted the replacement of electrolytic aluminum capacity, and the overall operation of the industry was stable, but the impact of trade friction gradually appeared, production costs continued to increase, industry benefits declined, and overall development The situation is not optimistic.
First, the output increased year-on-year, and the growth rate of aluminum materials declined. In 2018, the output of alumina, electrolytic aluminum and aluminum was 72.53 million tons, 35.8 million tons and 45.54 million tons, up 9.9%, 7.4% and 2.6% respectively. Among them, considering the adjustment of statistical data, the output growth of electrolytic aluminum was higher than that of the same period of last year. Increase by 5 percentage points; due to the impact of trade friction and domestic consumption sluggish, aluminum production growth rate fell by 7 percentage points year on year.
Second, prices have fallen, costs have risen, and benefits have fallen significantly. In 2018, the average spot price of domestic electrolytic aluminum was 14,262 yuan / ton, down 1.8% year-on-year. Affected by environmental protection, the price of bauxite continued to rise, the price of coal increased, and the cost of energy conservation and emission reduction of enterprises increased. The comprehensive production cost of electrolytic aluminum increased significantly year-on-year. In 2018, the aluminum industry realized a profit of 37.2 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 40%. Among them, aluminum mining and mining achieved a profit of 700 million yuan, an increase of 19.6%; aluminum smelting, aluminum processing industry realized profits of 11.2 billion yuan, 25.4 billion yuan, down 54.6%, 31.4%.
Third, the capacity replacement has been accelerated and the industrial structure has been further optimized. Since the publication of the Notice on the Implementation of Capacity Replacement by Electrolytic Aluminum Enterprises by Merger and Reorganization, etc. (the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology [2018] No. 12) has been issued, more than 4 million tons of electrolytic aluminum capacity has been completed, inter-provincial replacement, of which more than 3 million The production capacity per ton was transferred to energy-rich areas such as Inner Mongolia and Yunnan. While maintaining the high pressure of electrolytic aluminum production capacity, the industrial structure of electrolytic aluminum was continuously optimized.
Fourth, aluminum exports have grown substantially, and the international trade environment is not optimistic. Affected by fluctuations in the price of aluminum at home and abroad, and the depreciation of the RMB exchange rate, China's aluminum exports in 518 were 5.23 million tons, up 23.4% year-on-year. Brazil's Hydro Alumina plant has been shut down, resulting in a shortage of overseas alumina supply. China's annual net export of alumina is 950,000 tons. The overseas bauxite resources development projects such as Chinalco Group and Weiqiao continued to advance. The chain reaction of trade frictions in the United States, the European Union, Mexico, and Vietnam is prominent, and the external development environment is becoming increasingly severe. The future export of aluminum products will face a severe situation.
In 2019, the domestic and international environment became increasingly complex, and the deep-seated impact of trade friction was about to emerge. The downstream consumption situation was not optimistic, and the downward pressure on the aluminum industry remained large. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will continue to deepen the supply-side structural reforms, continue to cooperate with relevant parties to maintain a high-pressure situation of strict control of new capacity of electrolytic aluminum, strictly implement the electrolytic aluminum capacity replacement policy, and study and establish a market-based legalization method to resolve production capacity. The long-term surplus mechanism actively expands the application of aluminum and guides the high-quality development of the aluminum industry.
Operation of lead and zinc industry in 2018
In 2018, China's lead and zinc industry generally operated smoothly, but the downward pressure increased, the downstream consumption power was insufficient, the price fluctuated and the industry's efficiency declined.
First, the output of concentrates has decreased, and the growth rate of recycled metals is obvious. In 2018, due to environmental protection and limited new mines, the output of lead and zinc concentrates was 1.33 million tons and 2.84 million tons, down 5.9% and 4.9% year-on-year. The self-sufficiency rate of domestic lead and zinc mineral resources continued to decline. The output of lead and zinc was 5.11 million tons and 5.68 million tons, up 9.8% and -3.2% year-on-year. Among them, with the improvement of the utilization level of lead and zinc secondary materials by domestic enterprises, the output of recycled lead and zinc was 2.25 million tons and 600,000 tons respectively, up 10.0% and 56.8% year on year, accounting for 44.1% of lead and zinc production. 10.5%.
Second, the lead in imported concentrates decreased by zinc, and the export of lead-acid batteries declined. In 2018, with the rapid development of domestic renewable lead industry, the import volume of lead concentrate was 1.227 million tons, down 5.1% year-on-year; the imports of zinc concentrate and refined zinc were 2.97 million tons and 720,000 tons respectively, up 21.5% year-on-year. 5.9%. The export of lead-acid batteries was 1,019,630, a year-on-year decrease of 3.9%.
Third, the price fluctuated and the industry's efficiency declined. In 2018, the average spot price of lead was 19,126 yuan / ton, up 4.1% year-on-year, but the increase was 22 percentage points year-on-year. The average spot price of zinc was 23,474 yuan / ton, down 1.7% year-on-year. In the whole year, the lead and zinc industry realized a profit of 21.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 27.1%. Among them, affected by the fluctuation of lead and zinc prices, the profit of lead and zinc mining was 19.3 billion yuan, down 4.5% year-on-year; due to the smelting and processing fees in the first three quarters In the historical low position, lead and zinc smelting realized a profit of 2.1 billion yuan, down 77.1% year-on-year.
Fourth, the downstream consumption power is insufficient, and consumption enters the platform period. In 2018, the apparent consumption of lead and zinc was 5.2 million tons and 6.48 million tons, up 9.9% and -0.8% year-on-year. China's lead and zinc consumption is mainly based on domestic demand. With the decline in the production of lead consumer goods such as electric bicycles and automobiles, and the pressure of lead batteries in some areas to be replaced by lithium-ion batteries, the future consumption of lead industry is insufficient, and zinc consumption is mainly affected. Directly driven by the national infrastructure, real estate and other sectors, as well as related consumption of household appliances and automobiles, affected by the decline in the above-mentioned industries and the sluggish consumption, the consumption situation of zinc is not optimistic, and lead and zinc consumption will gradually enter the platform period.
In 2019, with the deepening of ecological protection and pollution prevention work, and the continued sluggishness of the downstream consumer market, the task of transformation and upgrading of the lead and zinc industry will be more urgent, and green development will be the main direction of industry development. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will promote the lead-zinc industry to accelerate the application of technological transformation of green production, actively use secondary materials to achieve joint smelting, guide the standardized development of the recycling lead and zinc industry, improve the comprehensive utilization of resources, and improve the level of clean production and green development in the industry.