Sumitomo Raises Copper Capacity At Plant

Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd said it will expand annual copper smelting capacity at its Toyo plant to 300,000 metric tons in late June from the current 270,000 metric tons.

For the expansion, the company has shut the Toyo copper smelter and refinery plant until June 26, said a senior official at Sumitomo Metal Mining, Japan's third-largest copper producer and top nickel producer.

Annual refining capacity at the plant, which was shut last Saturday, will also increase to 130,000 metric tons from the current 123,000 metric tons, the official said.

Sumitomo's Niihama refinery currently has refining capacity of 170,000 metric tons, up from 147,000 metric tons previously.

But the official said the company's refined copper output this year would be less than the increased output capacity, due to tight global copper concentrate supply, sluggish copper demand and lower global metal prices.

Early last month  the company said it planned to produce 136,000 metric tons of copper in the six months through September. Reuters