Copper processing charges could fall further next year, says Chile copper commission
By Fabian Cambero
SANTIAGO, Sept 5 (Reuters) -A global mined copper shortage will continue into 2025, putting pressure on processing charges that were already at historic lows this year due to the expansion of smelters, said Chile's state-run copper commission Cochilco in a study on Thursday.
Miners or intermediaries pay treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) to smelters to process copper concentrate into refined metal. Shortages of copper concentrate this year have already forced some Chinese smelters to cut output, and analysts expect further cuts next year.
Cochilco said it forecasts demand for concentrates to rise 10.5% next year as China and India boost their smelting capacity, and new smelters come online in Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Supply, meanwhile, is projected to tighten 3.4%.
"Since 2019, we've seen a deficit in the global balance of concentrates, which has continued to date and is expected to worsen between 2024 and 2025," Cochilco said in its report.
"Consequently, TC/RC would reach a minimum in 2025," it said.
Cochilco said it expects a deficit of 1.9 million tons of concentrates this year, pushing processing charges to $40 per ton and 4 cents per pound in 2024. Cochilco did not present a forecast for 2025.
In Chile, the world's biggest copper producer, concentrates accounted for 53% of production last year. They are expected to rise to 77% by 2040, according to Cochilco.
This year, Cochilco said Chile's concentrate production is expected to be driven by Teck's Quebrada Blanca, Codelco's Chuquicamata and BHP's Escondida, offsetting a decline at Anglo American's Los Bronces, which closed a concentrator.
Reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero
Editing by Peter Graff
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.