[Tug-of-War Between Longs and Shorts Continued, SHFE and LME Prices Fluctuated Upward] At the beginning of the week, boosted by optimistic sentiment over the easing of earlier geopolitical tensions, LME zinc edged up. Subsequently, as expectations for U.S.-Iran peace talks wavered and the Strait of Hormuz faced renewed restrictions, market concerns intensified, and LME zinc struggled to rise and continued to pull back.

[Lead-Zinc Ore Market Dynamics] A project advancement meeting for the Feihushan lead-zinc mine was held this week in Huzhong District, Heilongjiang, chaired by Guan Jingjun, Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee and District Governor. The total investment for the Feihushan lead-zinc polymetallic mine development project is expected to be 396.7111 million yuan, with all required funds to be self-raised by the enterprise. Upon completion, the project will have an annual capacity of 300,000 mt of raw ore (including 200,000 mt of lead-zinc ore and 100,000 mt of iron ore). The mineral processing products will be lead concentrates, zinc concentrates, and iron ore concentrates, with a service life of 14 years (excluding a 4-year construction period).

[Lead-Zinc Ore Market Dynamics] It was reported that in April 2025, Western Mining Co., Ltd. obtained the mining permit for the Youre lead-zinc mine in Baiyu County, Sichuan Province. The mine holds lead-zinc ore resources of 6.792 million mt, including lead metal content of 297,100 mt and zinc metal content of 431,200 mt. Associated resources include silver metal content of 405 mt and copper metal content of 21,900 mt. The mine has a designed processing capacity of 600,000 mt/year, and upon completion, the project will boost the production of ore-derived lead and ore-derived zinc.

[MMG Q1 2026 Report Released] MMG released its Q1 2026 report. Its zinc ore production in the quarter was 50,200 mt, down 3% YoY. By mine, Dugald River's Q1 zinc concentrates production was 41,100 mt, basically flat YoY despite severe flooding and railway disruptions in January and February, thanks to higher throughput, recovery rates, and ongoing beneficiation plant optimization. Rosebery's Q1 zinc concentrates production was 9,100 mt, down 16% YoY, mainly attributable to lower zinc grade and a slight decline in recovery rates, in line with the planned mining sequence as operations advance into deeper areas of the ore body.

[Australian Refinery Fire Sparks Zinc Ore Supply Concerns] According to SMM, a fire broke out at the Viva Energy refinery in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, at around 11 PM on April 15, causing a partial shutdown. The refinery is one of only two still operating in Australia, supplying approximately 50% of Victoria's fuel and 10% of the nation's total fuel demand. Given the uncertain production situation and Australia's long-term dependence on diesel imports, the incident sparked market concerns over Australian lead and zinc ore supply. Zinc prices briefly surged above $3,400/mt. Subsequent attention will focus on Australian zinc concentrates production and transportation conditions.

According to an announcement by NFC, on April 2, 2026, Zhongse Indonesia Dari Mining Co., Ltd., a holding subsidiary of China Nonferrous Metal Industry's Foreign Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd., obtained the "Environmental Feasibility Decision (SKKL) on Mining Activities of Lead-Zinc Ore by Dari Mining in SilimaPungga-Pungga Township, Dari County, North Sumatra Province" issued by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia. According to NFC's disclosure, the mine is an underground mine with a designed capacity of 1 million mt/year. As of 2024, the total resources/reserves of the Dari lead-zinc mine were: ore volume of 20.7009 million mt, zinc metal content of 2.2562 million mt, lead metal content of 1.3203 million mt, with an average zinc grade of 10.90% and an average

[Smelters Actively Procure Domestic Zinc Ore, China TCs Are Expected to Decline in April]: Weekly data showed that the average weekly SMM Zn50 domestic TC fell 200 yuan/mt Zn MoM to 1,350 yuan/mt Zn, while the SMM imported zinc concentrates index fell $12.22/dmt MoM to -$14.5/dmt...

[Australian Typhoons Continued to Disrupt, and Import TCs Kept Falling]: Weekly data showed that the average weekly domestic SMM Zn50 TC held flat at 1,550 yuan/mt in metal content, while the SMM Imported Zinc Concentrate Index fell $6.02/dmt MoM to $5.23/dmt...

[Imported Zinc Concentrates Market] Disruptions in Iran and Australia persisted recently, and the market’s concern over zinc concentrates supply continued. This week, traders of imported zinc ore continued to lower spot quotes. It was learned that some recent offers for bulk cargoes of zinc-rich zinc concentrates fell to negative prices.

After returning from the Chinese New Year holiday, Q4 reports from listed miners outside China have been released one after another recently. 2025 was a period of concentrated release of new capacity at mines outside China. What was the specific situation? What are the expectations for 2026? Let us analyze it by enterprise.