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Sulphur 417 Mar-Apr 2025

19 March 2025

Glencore looking to extend life of Mt Isa

Glencore looking to extend life of Mt Isa

Glencore says it is working with the Queensland government to secure the future of the Mount Isa copper smelter. The company had previously indicated that it would close the smelter in 2030, but recent media reports suggest that the government is looking at assistance to keep the smelter operational, which currently treats more than 1 million t/a of copper concentrate and supplies sulphuric acid to other industries locally, including phosphate production.

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Restart for Hongda smelter

Hongda's 100,000 t/a zinc smelter, in China's Sichuan Province, completed scheduled maintenance and equipment upgrading and officially resumed production on 21st June, the company said. The smelter had been shut down for planned maintenance since January, during which time a modernisation project for the electrolytic zinc smelting system was also carried out. Following the nearly six-month revamp, the resumption of production is expected to improve overall operational efficiency, reduce unit production costs, and increase the utilisation rate, The company said. The stable supply of sulphuric acid generated by the zinc smelter will effectively leverage the synergies of the "sulphur-phosphorus" industrial chain in the company, an help alleviate cost pressures on the company's phosphorus chemical business segment.

Methanex to close Titan methanol plant

Methanex says that it has been unable to agree to a new natural gas contract for its 860,000 t/a Titan methanol plant in Trinidad and Tobago, and, as a result, will begin the process of indefinitely idling the facility. Titan’s existing natural gas contract expires in the third quarter of 2026. Methanex says that it will undertake a preservation process at the Titan plant to provide options for a future restart should conditions materially improve. The neighbouring 1/7 million t/a Atlas methanol plant, a joint venture in which Methanex holds a 63.1% economic interest, remains indefinitely idled in a preserved state.