Annual benchmark copper smelter treatment charges: tmsnrt.rs/2M8Nd0d
LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The deadly coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on the world’s copper mines.
Output in key producer countries such as Peru cratered over the second quarter of 2020 as lockdowns and quarantine measures caused many mines drastically to reduce operations.
Recovery has been patchy. Peruvian mines had just about returned to normal run-rates by October, but output in Chile, the world’s largest copper producer, started sliding in the third quarter after a robust first half of the year.
Global mine output in the first 10 months of 2020 was still 0.5% lower than 2019 levels, according to the International Copper Study Group (ICSG).