Almost all cobalt production in Jiangxi province, China, has been suspended due to an ongoing environmental inspection in the region, according to market sources.
China's central government has sent inspection teams to 10 provinces, including Jiangxi, to carry out one-month inspections in the region starting on Friday June 1, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on its website on Friday. There is no definite timeline in terms of when refineries could restart operations, Metal Bulletin understands. But market consensus is that a full resumption of cobalt production may not take place until early July when the environmental inspection team leaves Jiangxi province. "All operations at cobalt refineries in Jiangxi province has been halted, and it is less likely for refineries...