SHANGHAI: China’s zinc output in October fell 9.2% from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday, while alumina production hit a 10-month low as power curbs on smelters and refiners constrained supply.

Zinc production last month was 532,000 tonnes, the bureau said, the lowest monthly total since May.

Output of alumina, the substance used to make aluminium, fell 2.2% year-on-year to its lowest monthly total since December 2020 as the energy-intensive sector becomes a key target for regions looking to reduce emissions and ease electricity shortages.

The bureau does not typically release individual monthly output figures for January and February because of the distortion of the Lunar New Year holiday.

Refined copper production has not been as severely impacted by the power restrictions. October output was down only 0.3% year-on-year, and 3.4% lower than the previous month at 855,000 tonnes.