it appears it is the semi coke they need from china...

it appears it is the semi coke they need from china

Ferrosilicon: OM Holdings idles furnaces following supply chain disruption amid coronavirus outbreak​

Posted 19th February 2020 in  Industry news.
By Ramsey Yavuz​

OM Holdings (OMH) has announced disruption of the supply chain at its Sarawak smelter complex in Malaysia. Regional authorities have imposed transportation restrictions within China to contain the Coronavirus, where most of the semi coke reductant for OMH’s Sarawak plant is sourced from. The company has decided to idle two of its 16 furnaces, putting them on routine maintenance until further notice. These two furnaces are thought to mostly produce ferrosilicon.
OMH is a trading company and entered the mining and smelting space in the early 2000s. At the end of 2013, OMH commissioned a new ferrosilicon and manganese alloy smelter in Sarawak. The smelter was to be built in two phases, the first phase consisting of 16 furnaces providing ferrosilicon (capacity 380ktpy), and additional furnaces to produce 265ktpy of manganese alloys. After the commissioning of the 16 furnaces of phase one, it was decided to postpone the construction of phase two indefinitely, and to devote several of the phase one furnaces to the production of manganese alloys.
Roskill View

OMH’s dependence on semi coke imports from China affects ferrosilicon production at its Sarawak smelter plant. As it currently stands, on-site stocks of semi coke will run thin as the singular source of supply from China is cut off, potentially causing further idling of ferrosilicon furnaces in the near interim period. The plant’s manganese alloy output might also be affected in the coming months.
OMH’s stake in Australian and South African mines gives the company alternative options to make contingency plans to mitigate the supply disruption coming from China for its Sarawak smelter plant. In China, OMH’s smelter will need restocking once stocks on-site run thin, though if the virus outbreak persists it may ultimately result in idling of furnaces.
Roskill’s Manganese: Outlook to 2029, 15th Edition report was published in September 2019 and its NEW Silicon & Ferrosilicon: Outlook to 2029, 16th Edition report will be published in March 2020. Both reports contain analysis of supply, demand, trade and prices, while providing cost curves and forecastdata for the coming decade.
Image from OM Holdings​

​