Mitsui Mining plans 11 pct rise in H1 zinc output
Japan’s Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co plans to produce 123,300 tonnes of zinc in the first half of the year ending in March 2009, up 10.9 percent from a year earlier.
The plan reflects an expected boost from Hachinohe Smelting Co, an affiliated zinc and lead smelter that had been under maintenance over the past year, and increased capacity from the current half at Hikoshima Smelting Co, an affiliated zinc smelter, the company said in a statement on Friday.
Mitsui Mining also said it expects its production of gold, silver and lead in April-September will be lower than in the same period a year earlier.
Lead output is estimated to fall 7.1 percent to 28,600 tonnes in the six months to September due to a likely fall in built-to-order manufacturing and a regular maintenance check at another affiliate, Kamioka Mining and Smelting Co.
Following are details of the company’s latest output plan, with comparisons against estimated production in the second half of 2007/08 and actual production in the first half of 2007/08 :
H1 08/09 H2 07/08 H1 07/08 Zinc 123,300 118,800 111,200 Lead 28,600 29,800 30,800 Gold 6,000 7,600 7,900
Silver 100,500 123,800 131,900
