Alunorte, the world’s largest alumina refinery, is accelerating the use of drone technology after investing about USD 633,000 in a fleet of 15 drones for equipment inspection, environmental monitoring and security management. The company said drones can replace some confined-space and high-altitude operations while reducing visual inspection time by around 80% and improving inspection accuracy. In the first three months of 2026, the program generated an estimated USD 1.19 million in financial returns through reduced downtime and lower scaffolding needs. Alunorte noted that drones combined with artificial intelligence and thermal imaging will further enhance operational efficiency, safety and sustainability management.

Lead concentrate TCs remained generally stable this week. The weekly average TC for domestic Pb50 was quoted at 300 yuan/mt Pb, while the weekly average TC for imported Pb60 was quoted at -$135/dmt. Smelters maintained mainstream quotations within the range of -$150 to -$130/dmt. As the SHFE/LME lead price ratio continued to decline, losses on lead concentrate imports widened, and smelters showed little enthusiasm for negotiating purchases, resulting in minimal actual transactions for imported ore. The biggest unexpected impact on the precious metals market this week came from the issuance of Peru's energy crisis decree. Silver prices experienced wild swings, but the price fluctuations in precious metals have not yet transmitted to the TC quotation stage for imported ore or the silver payable stage for lead concentrates. Some smelters indicated that there are no expectations of supply disruptions from Peru-sourced lead concentrates in the short term. The silver payable indicator remained stable, mainly because buyers and sellers had doubts about the sustainability of the silver price rebound, and consensus could still be reached on maintaining the current payable indicator. Although zinc concentrate TCs saw significant reductions in May due to factors such as a sharp rise in sulphuric acid prices, lead concentrate TC quotations saw almost no reduction during the same period. Multiple mining enterprises stated that lead concentrate TCs have almost no room for further decline.

[SMM Stainless Steel Daily Review] Macro Disturbances Dragged SS Futures Lower; Low Inventory Pressure and Rigid Demand Supported Stainless Steel Spot Prices SMM, May 15 — SS futures continued to be in the doldrums. Non-ferrous metal futures extended the previous day's decline, and SS also fluctuated downward in tandem. As of the morning close, the most-traded SS contract was quoted at 14,825 yuan/mt. Spot market side, dragged by the persistently weak SS futures, stainless steel spot prices pulled back in tandem. However, stainless steel social inventory has been on an overall downward trend recently, and traders faced relatively small shipment pressure. Market confidence remained stable, and price declines were relatively limited. The most-traded SS contract fell and pulled back. At 10:15 AM, SS2605 was quoted at 14,890 yuan/mt, down 60 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Spot premiums for 304/2B in the Wuxi area were in the range of 380-680 yuan/mt. In the spot market, the average price of cold-rolled 201/2B coils in Wuxi remained flat; for cold-rolled untrimmed 304/2B coils, the average price in Wuxi fell 100 yuan/mt, and the average price in Foshan fell 100 yuan/mt; cold-rolled 316L/2B coils in the Wuxi area held steady; hot-rolled 316L/NO.1 coils were quoted stable in Wuxi; cold-rolled 430/2B coils in both Wuxi and Foshan held steady. The stainless steel market was dragged by the weak and volatile futures, with notable downward pressure, but overall spot price declines remained limited, highlighting the divergence between futures and spot. Downstream end-users adopted a cautious wait-and-see stance due to macro uncertainties, with no concentrated restocking observed. However, rigid demand purchases remained solid, and the resilience of rigid demand provided a foundation for spot prices...

[SMM Analysis: Futures in the Doldrums with Rigid Demand Providing Support, Stainless Steel Social Inventory Saw Mild Destocking] On May 14, SMM reported that stainless steel social inventory continued its mild destocking trend this week. Total inventory across the two core markets of Wuxi and Foshan pulled back slightly, dropping from 955,200 mt on May 7, 2026 to 947,100 mt on May 14, down 0.85% WoW, showing mild destocking characteristics. SS futures were in the doldrums this week. On Thursday, SS futures dropped sharply due to uncertainties surrounding the Fed Chairman transition policy, putting macro sentiment under pressure. However, the spot market showed strong resilience against declines, with stainless steel spot prices falling only narrowly and not following futures to swing wildly. Supply side, steel mills' earlier cargo distribution pace was relatively low, limiting market arrival pressure; traders were cautious in purchasing high-priced cargoes, and speculative purchasing willingness in the market remained weak. Demand side, rigid demand transactions in the market were moderate this week, with end-user rigid demand maintaining a steady pace to pick up goods, largely unaffected by the weak futures performance. Rigid demand resilience supported continued destocking, jointly driving social inventory to pull back slightly this week. Overall, despite futures being under pressure and ongoing macro uncertainties this week, firm spot prices, low steel mill arrivals, and resilient downstream rigid demand collectively drove mild inventory destocking. Currently, the high production schedule pattern at steel mills has not changed, supply-side pressure persists, and futures may maintain wild swings amid the uncertain macro environment. Combined with the traditional peak consumption season gradually...

Recently, the lead concentrates market has remained relatively stable amid a confluence of macro and industry factors. Although sulphuric acid prices surged significantly and silver prices experienced wild swings driven by events such as the US-Iran peace talks and the Peruvian energy crisis, the transmission of these factors to the silver-bearing lead concentrate TCs space was limited, and lead concentrate TCs remained broadly stable overall.

On May 12, Rosh Pinah Zinc and Appian Capital Advisory Limited announced the successful commissioning of a new water treatment plant, which is a key component of RPZ's sustainability strategy as part of the RP2.0 expansion project. The commissioning of the water treatment plant followed the commissioning of Namibia's first paste backfill plant at RPZ, representing another operational milestone in the RP2.0 expansion project. Overall construction progress of RP2.0 has exceeded 90%, and the project will double RPZ's production, with completion expected by the end of 2026, followed by a gradual ramp-up. The project will increase annual ore production from 700,000 mt to 1.4 million mt, with average annual zinc equivalent production rising to 170 million pounds.