Antimony In Hunan

In China the struggle of the central authority on closing small-scale mines and manufactures connected to production and reception of antimony proceeds - up to such 60 enterprises in a province Hunan are planned to be closed, for it will affect a problem with a concentrate and metal antimony on the global market. In the middle of June the Chinese Ministry of ground and natural resources began closing (and frequently having undermined) factories around of city Lenshujang at the centre of a province Hunan. According to the local dealers this destruction of production and manufacture will result to disappearance of approximately 30% of capacities in a province, that is equivalent of 7000 -10000 tons of contained metal per one year. "It can become a second Nundan!"- the dealers exclaim dramatically, meaning resolute destruction of points of production antimony concentrate (frequently illegal) in the next province Guangxi after large accident in 2001. After closing these objects, the province Hunan remains by the basic supplier of a concentrate (up to 70 % from the Chinese manufacture), thus large manufactures, such as Hsikwangshan Mining Administration, are not mentioned by restrictive measures.

While that the exporters are sure, that the prices gradually will go upwards in process of further increasing of a situation with a cash material in the market - however it is spoken within several years. Many dealers habitually "hold" the goods in account on increase of the prices, expecting that it will take place roughly at the end of August.

Mines and manufactures which became objects of actions of the central authorities, are small, as a rule, - 100-200 tons of metal per month, or metal in a concentrate. In opinion of the various people, there will be closed or destroyed 48 or 60 enterprises, or a half in general.

The representatives of the above-mentioned enterprise Hsikwangshan Mining Administration, which makes a brand-material Twinkling Star, have informed, that their manufactures will not be broken, and in 2003 it will make of 25 000 tons. The factory is compelled to use significant volumes of an imported concentrate to compensate shortage of raw material on a home market.

Except for obvious desire of the Chinese authorities constant incidents and failures in a mountain industry of China, the possible reason of restrictive measures is the attempt of attraction of the foreign investments for a conclusion of production of antimony to an acceptable level appropriate to the modern requirements of profitability, safety and ecology. According to the message on an official web - site of the central newspaper People's Daily, one company from Great Britain was compelled to refuse the plans of the investments in one of the local projects owing to absence " of guarantees of the elementary order in a mineral industry both prevalence partisan and illegal approach to process of development of minerals" in the province. Frequently places of production simply become unfit for use as a result of actions at a handicraft level with use of the completely primitive equipment, the official representative of an industry has declared.