Central Asia Metals reports 6% drop in copper output in H1 2025Central Asia Metals plc (CAML) produced 6,218 tonnes of copper at its Kounrad project in Kazakhstan in the first half of 2025, a 6% decline from 6,608 tonnes in the same period last year, the company announced.The London-based miner also reported a 3.6% year-on-year decrease in zinc concentrate output to 8,692 tonnes and a 2% dip in lead concentrate production to 12,613 tonnes at its Sasa mine in North Macedonia."Kounrad's H1 2025 copper output remains aligned with our full-year guidance," CEO Gavin Ferrar said in a statement. "However, maintaining ore grades has proven challenging due to variable orebody geometry at deeper levels, prompting our shift to more flexible mining methods. We anticipate grade improvements as new methods gain traction in H2 2025, though we're revising Sasa's full-year production targets at this stage."The company maintained its 2025 copper production forecast at 13,000-14,000 tonnes but trimmed zinc concentrate guidance to 17,000-19,000 tonnes from 19,000-21,000 and lead concentrate to 25,000-27,000 tonnes from 27,000-29,000.CAML expects to receive results from geochemical and magnetic surveys at two Kazakh exploration licenses held by its subsidiary CAML Exploration in Q3 2025.Copper sales reached 5,744 tonnes in H1, with accumulated inventory scheduled for Q3 shipment.London-based Central Asia Metals (CAML) owns 100% of Kazakhstan's Kounrad copper project and North Macedonia's Sasa zinc-lead mine. The company holds an 80% stake in its Kazakh exploration subsidiary CAML Exploration and a 28.7% share in UK-based Aberdeen Minerals Ltd, which focuses on non-ferrous metal mining in northeast Scotland.Major shareholders include JO Hambro Capital Management and Fidelity International (9.57% each), along with Hargreaves Lansdown (5.03%), BlackRock Investment (4.85%), and Man GLG (4.49%). (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX