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Sulphur 417 Mar-Apr 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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Aurubis completes major maintenance at Pirdop plant

Aurubis says that it has successfully completed scheduled maintenance at its Pirdop plant on time. The two-month operation marked the largest planned maintenance shutdown at the site in the past 30 years. With an investment of €115 million, Aurubis says the work ensures the long-term reliability and performance of the facility. Key upgrades included a full overhaul of the flash smelter, replacement of two electrostatic precipitators, and a major modernisation of the sulphuric acid production line. This modernisation involved installing a new converter and replacing six heat exchangers.

Lyten acquires Northvolt

Lyten, a global leader in lithium-sulphur batteries has entered into a binding agreement to acquire Northvolt’s assets in Sweden and Germany. The acquisition includes Northvolt Ett and, Northvolt Labs in Sweden and Northvolt Drei in Germany. Additionally, Lyten is acquiring all remaining Northvolt intellectual property. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. In total, Lyten’s acquisition includes assets valued at approximately $5 billion, including 16 GWh of existing battery manufacturing capacity, more than 15 GWh of capacity under construction, the infrastructure and plans to scale to more than 100 GWh, and the largest and most advanced battery R&D centre in Europe.