Central Asia Metals (CAML) announced that, thanks to improved operational efficiencies, its copper and zinc production for the first five months of 2026 both surpassed the same period last year. Copper output from the Kounrad operation in Kazakhstan totalled 5,141 tonnes, a near 4% increase over the last year. Meanwhile, the Sasa mine in North Macedonia produced 7,566 tonnes of zinc in concentrate, up over 2% compared to last year. In terms of pricing, the company reported significantly higher realized metal prices during the period. The average price of copper reached $13,076 per tonnes, representing a massive jump of nearly 40% over the last year, while average zinc prices rose 19% to $3,299 per tonne. In addition, historically low treatment charges for lead, which have turned negative, further boosted Sasa’s revenues. CEO Gavin Ferrar noted that the group is shaping up to deliver strong profitability and cash generation in the first half of 2026. Currently, the company is actively pushing forward with its acquisition of Australia's Cygnus Metals, announced last week, to expand its footprint into a high-grade copper-gold project in Quebec, Canada. The company remains highly confident in meeting its full-year production guidance (12,000–13,000 tonnes of copper, 18,000–20,000 tonnes of zinc concentrates, and 26,000–28,000 tonnes of lead concentrates).

South America remains the cornerstone of global copper supply, with Chile and Peru collectively accounting for more than one-third of global mined copper production. As electrification, grid modernisation, renewable energy deployment and AI-driven infrastructure investment continue to reinforce long-term copper demand growth, policy developments across the region are becoming increasingly important determinants of future supply availability.

Mexican miner Minera Frisco has restarted two previously idled mines and is planning a new silver production unit. The company produces copper, gold and silver across multiple operations. With copper prices remaining elevated, miners are increasingly looking to bring dormant capacity back online. Analysts believe such restarts could help ease concentrate supply tightness over the medium term.

Jinchuan International reported Q1 2026 production of 18,021 tonnes of contained copper in cathode and concentrate, up 29.5% year-on-year, while cobalt hydroxide production rose to 2,139 tonnes from 71 tonnes a year earlier. The company attributed the increase primarily to contributions from the Musonoi mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which commenced commercial production in November 2025. Musonoi hosts approximately 606,000 tonnes of copper reserves and 174,000 tonnes of cobalt reserves, with copper and cobalt grades of 3.4% and 0.9%, respectively. As Musonoi ramps up production, Jinchuan International expects annual copper output capacity to increase from around 60,000 tonnes to approximately 100,000 tonnes.

Vedanta Resources’ Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has commenced a 60-day maintenance shutdown aimed at improving operational reliability across its mining and processing facilities and supporting future production growth. The company stated that the maintenance program covers key mining, processing, and supporting infrastructure assets and represents an important step in the mine’s ongoing operational recovery. Vedanta has previously committed to investing more than US$1 billion in KCM over the next five years to restore and expand production capacity. As one of Zambia’s major copper producers, Vedanta aims to increase KCM’s annual copper output to more than 300,000 tonnes in the coming years.

Chile is the world's largest copper-producing country. Data released on Friday by Chile's National Bureau of Statistics (INE) showed that the country's copper production in April declined 13.8% YoY.According to official data, Chile's copper production in April was 399,954 mt, compared with 464,056 mt in the same period last year. The production decline was mainly attributable to a high base in the same period last year and lower ore grades at major miners.In addition, metal products production fell 15.4% YoY, further dragging down the overall performance of the manufacturing sector.