COVID-19 Metals & Minerals -- Southeast Asia Impact Report - April 18, 2020

Metals & Minerals
Metals & Minerals manufacturing plants across Southeast Asia continue shuttering plants as low demand and lockdowns persist. The commissioning and startup of grassroot projects and production line additions are delayed for months as travel restrictions prevent outside specialty contractors from going onsite to finish trial runs. Vietnam's steel industry continues with normal production while some steel manufacturers in Malaysia are preparing for startup after the government added the industry to the list of critical economic sectors and allowed operations to resume.

Southeast Asian Countries:
Indonesia
The Indonesian government is reviewing industrial parks with ferronickel smelter projects included in its National Strategic Project (PSN) list in order to divert funds needed for the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The Obi Island Industrial Zone and the Weda Bay Industrial Park are the two projects currently being evaluated and may include foreign direct investment (FDI) smelter projects that are estimated to kick off beyond 2024.

Malaysia
Steel manufacturers are waiting for lockdown measures to be lifted as the government added several midstream and downstream steel manufacturing plants in its list of critical economic sectors. Aluminum and ferroalloy smelters are still operational in the country, but are running at 30% to 50% operational levels due to low market demand and export measures recently implemented in Chinese ports.

Vietnam
Commissioning and startup of a glass plant in Vietnam is delayed as several contractors for China, the U.S. and EU countries were unable to go onsite for trial runs due to travel restrictions in different regions. Formosa Steel Corporation's Ky Anh Integrated Steel Mill Complex, Vietnam's largest iron and steel producing complex, continues to operate at normal levels, with maintenance and in-plant projects remaining on schedule for 2020 to 2021.

Philippines
Nickel miners in Surigao del Norte Province, the nickel mining hub of the Philippines, have halted mining and direct-shipping-ore (DSO) operations to comply with the "enhanced community quarantine" ordinance recently implemented by the provincial government.

Thailand
Siam City Cement is planning to shutter two of its cement plants in Saraburi province as market demand and cement exports has dropped due to COVID-19.