The Asia-Pacific region is the largest zinc producer region in the world, and upcoming zinc mining projects in Australia, China and India are set to push production even higher, states a new report by mining experts GBI Research. The new report states that demand from galvanised steel makers is rising within the region, as populations expand and housing projects are announced, “keeping investor interest alive and the zinc mining industry buoyant.”
Substantial zinc reserves in China, Australia and Kazakhstan support Asia’s zinc mining industry. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Asia-Pacific region had the largest zinc reserves in the world at the end of 2010 with 122 Mt, with Australia and China accounting for around 78% of these reserves. Most of the zinc reserves in Australia are located in the provinces of Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria, while the provinces of Hubei and Guangdong Sheng accounted for the majority of zinc reserves in China.
Planned and upcoming zinc projects in Australia, China and India will increase the region’s production levels during the next few years. This anticipated boost in activity is driven by a surging demand for galvanized steel, which is used in construction. China’s domestic zinc consumption is expected to increase from an estimated 5.23 Mt in 2010 to roughly 6.5 Mt by 2020, due to China’s plan to build 36 million units of affordable housing by 2015. National plans such as this, aimed to support population growth in emerging economies, also work to bolster industrial sectors by raising demand for raw materials.
Overall zinc metal consumption in the Asia-Pacific region stood at an estimated 6.4 Mt in 2011, with China accounting for almost 90% of this. Regional consumption during this decade is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 1.6% to reach approximately 7.8 Mt by 2020, due to demand for galvanised steel. However, the skilled labour shortage in Australia could pose a major threat to the Asia-Pacific zinc mining industry, as the second largest zinc mine company in the region has been experiencing a skilled labour shortage for a number of years. Beginning in 2004, the situation worsened as the global financial crisis forced the resources sector to lay off around 28,300 personnel during 2008-2009. Since then, as the industry has gradually recovered, the shortage issue has become more apparent and is soon expected to become a major concern. With many remote mines located in Western Australia and Queensland and several mining projects under development, the skilled workforce shortage is likely to adversely affect the mineral resource sector.
Asia-Pacific zinc ore production stood at an estimated 6.6 Mt in 2011, and during the forecast period 2012-2020, zinc ore production in Asia-Pacific is estimated to increase at a CAGR of around 4% to approximately 9.6 Mt in 2020. China was the major contributor to regional production in 2011, accounting for a 58.3% share, and the country is expected to remain the leading source of zinc in the future.