Earth-i

Following on from our recent White Paper 'Could copper prices spike again?' utilising the production data in beta phase on the SAVANT platform, latest information from SMM backs up the accuracy of this real-time data. Where SMM records a decline in September copper cathode production in China of 0.91% m/m, the SAVANT China Copper Monitoring Index shows a fall of 0.88%. What is equally interesting to note is SMM's expectations for October of a further 1.08% fall. This is a divergence from SAVANT real-time monitoring for the first 16 days in October, which suggests a rise of as much as 5% m/m, back in line with the YTD rise and not coincidentally, the government's GDP growth target for 2024. Read the full White Paper here: 👇 https://lnkd.in/eFEAybcH #copperprices #coppermarket #coppernews

For the fourth consecutive month, global smelting activity increased in September according to Earth-i's SAVANT Global Copper Monitoring Index, with average smelter inactivity falling by a full percentage point m/m to 14.2%. This monthly decline contributed to smelters being 1.6% more active on average in Q3 2024 than the same period a year ago. It would therefore seem that despite very low terms in the spot market, record high gold as well as resurgent copper prices are proving sufficient to incentivise operators to keep processing scarce concentrates. Analysis of activity in China, Europe, Africa and Asia reveals the breakdown by region behind the overall figures. The explanation for increased activity is complex and unexpected, for the full details read our latest article here: https://lnkd.in/eFEAybcH #CopperPrices #CopperProduction #CopperTrends

Copper smelting activity is down for the fourth consecutive month, whilst copper prices have seen extraordinary activity, caused by a combination of market and global logistic events. Our analysis offers insights into the granular data and the current forces at work in the copper marketplace. Read more on this subject here: https://lnkd.in/ethza-h2 #CopperPrices #CopperProduction #CopperTrends

!!! INCIDENT !!! Further to our report a fortnight ago that PT Freeport Indonesia would delay commissioning of its new Manyar smelter due to water and steam leakage during initial testing, news on Monday that a fire had broken out at the acid plant has torn up the timeline. Indeed footage of the incident posted to social media showing a plume of thick black smoke following an explosion, would appear to suggest that the damage is extensive. As such the smelter is likely to remain outside the SAVANT index until at least Q2 2025. At a global level this may help to support the copper price, which has come under pressure since the end of LME Week on account of the underwhelming follow through in policy details following stimulus announcements at the end of last month designed to arrest the decline in the property market. #coppersmelting #coppermarket #coppernews https://lnkd.in/eFjub6qT

News that refined copper production in Japan is expected to rise by 5.5% y/y in the second half of the fiscal year (i.e. the next 6 months) hasn't come as a surprise to users of the #SAVANT platform. They have already seen in real time a very strong performance in Q3 2024, so that output in H1 FY25 has increased by over 8%. Looking at the figures for the upcoming October - March period, it appears we should expect some downtime at Mitsubishi's Onahama and/or Naoshima, while the lower expectations from Furukawa and Nittetsu also suggest a stoppage at Tamano, where they are minority shareholders in owner Hibi Kyodo Smelting Co., Ltd. Meanwhile, although PAN PACIFIC COPPER CO.,LTD.'s headline production from Saganoseki looks strong, this is only by comparison to last year when the plant was offline in October for maintenance. A space to watch closely! https://lnkd.in/eXZxBXpd If you would like to know more about how SAVANT can help you monitor global copper production, contact us at info@earthi.space #CopperPrices #CopperProduction #CopperTrends

For all those looking to understand the current landscape that forms the backdrop for this year's benchmark treatment charge negotiations, this is an excellent article published last Friday that sums up the current lie of the land. https://lnkd.in/e6vexND4 The only thing we would add is that with copper prices and cathode premiums rising in China and gold prices at record highs, for smelters at least, other revenue streams are likely to prove supportive. Nonetheless, TCs below $40/tonne will make it very difficult for some smelters to operate profitably - most notably those employing Outukumpu Flash, Ausmelt or SKS technologies, where a high copper loss to slag in the initial smelting process reduces the quantity of free metal or requires expensive further electric melting and floatation to boost recovery. If you would like to know more about the differences between various smelting technologies, please contact the Earth-i team at info@earthi.space #SmeltingTechnology #CopperSmelting #CopperPrice

The lights finally go out at Port Talbot We recently posted about the lights being turned off at #PortTalbot and now we can see that, as of the 3rd October all the lights and other forms of heat had been switched off. Good luck to all the families that worked at the plant, the local community and the suppliers who helped the plant run for so many years. Port Talbot supplied steel to the UK, Europe and other parts of the world and will be sorely missed by many. #SteelProduction #SteelWorks

Earth-i has been selected by the UK Space Agency to lead our Multi-Sensor, Multi-Resolution Co-registration for Earth Observation (MuSeReCo) project - something we are all very proud of. As part of the UK's initiative to enhance #EarthObservation (EO) data capabilities, the MuSeReCo project will focus on improving the accuracy and interoperability of satellite data. By using machine learning and pixel-based change detection, we aim to deliver cutting-edge tools that enable automated co-registration of data from multiple satellites—regardless of format or resolution. This capability will unlock powerful new applications, from automated industrial site surveillance to enhanced security and intelligence monitoring, supporting a wide range of sectors and driving innovation in the UK’s space industry. We are proud to play a key role in advancing the UK’s capability in space-data technologies and look forward to contributing to future commercial opportunities. See here for more information: https://lnkd.in/eUDs2qfH #EarthObservation #UKSpaceAgency #RemoteSensing #DataInnovation #MachineLearning #SpaceTechnology

Satellite imagery captures a significant moment in the UK's industrial history After more than a century of traditional steelmaking, the UK's largest steel plant has halted operations, bringing significant change to the people of #PortTalbot. With our latest satellite images, we were able to observe heat outputs from the steel furnaces at the plant. The first image, with visible heat emissions and lights, contrasts sharply with the second following the factory’s permanent closure. The closure of the final blast furnace marks the end of an era, with thousands of jobs lost, leaving a lasting impact on the region. As we continue to monitor the transformation of industrial and smelter sites across the world, satellite imagery serves as a vital tool for tracking these changes and understanding their broader social and economic effects. At Earth-i, we believe #EarthObservation through the use of advanced satellite imagery is key to documenting transitions of this nature, offering valuable insights into how industrial landscapes evolve over time. #SatelliteImagery #SteelIndustry #IndustrialChange #GeospatialIntelligence #RemoteSensing

It is little wonder that BHP sees such a bright future for copper demand - afterall, the Big Australian recently doubled down on its acquisition of OZ Minerals by outlining a vision to increase production at its South Australian operations to more than 650,000 t/y copper in concentrate by the mid 2030s. The plan is to expand the #OlympicDam (OD) smelter, firstly through the 'SRE' Project that would install a new primary furnace in front of the existing smelter, potentially paving the way for a second phase that would match total production from OD, Prominent Hill, Carrapateena and possibly OD Deeps and Oak Dam. Indeed the OD smelter has been running pretty much flat out this year, now that it has concentrates from Prominent Hill and Carrapateena to blend with those from the adjacent mine, which carries a high sulphur load that was previously leading to bottlenecking issues. For an asset that has struggled to attract capital in the portfolio after the demise of the mammoth $30 billion ODX project at the beginning of the last decade, the future suddenly looks a lot brighter. https://lnkd.in/e9ZZuFqm Want more production detail on this or other smelters? Contact us at info@earthi.space. #CopperSmelters #CopperProduction #CopperTrading