According to the August report released by the International Copper Research Organization (ICSG), world copper production in the first half of 2022 increased by 3% year on year, including copper concentrate production increased by about 2.3% year on year, wet smelting electrolytic copper (SX-EW) production increased by 6.5% year on year.
Copper production in some countries remained constrained by pandemic-related restrictions in early 2022, and infections of the Omicron variant continued to be high in several countries. But global mine copper production benefited from additional production from new mines coming on stream or increasing mine production, as well as base effects from lower production in the first few months of 2021, following tighter pandemic restrictions imposed early last year.
In Chile, the world's top copper producer, output fell 6 per cent in the first half of 2022 compared with the same period last year, led by a 9 per cent fall in copper concentrate production and a 2.3 per cent increase in hydrometallurgical electrolytic copper production. Production at several of the country's copper mines fell because of high pandemic-induced turnover rates, lower ore grades and reduced water supplies due to a prolonged drought.
In Peru, the world's second-largest copper producer, output rose only 1.3 per cent in the first half of the year as two major copper mines -- Cuajone of Southern Copper and Las Bambas of Minmetals -- were shut down for extended periods due to local community protests. Production in the first half of 2022 was 8% lower than in 2019, before the pandemic.
Production in Indonesia increased by about 38 per cent in the first half of the year as production from the Grasberg underground mine continued to improve.
Production in the Democratic Republic of Congo is up 30 per cent year on year as the new Kamoa copper mine comes on stream and other new mines come on stream or copper mines expand.
Output in Mexico and the United States was also 3 percent and 4 percent higher than a year earlier, respectively.
