Glencore Slows Zinc Smelting As Energy Prices StingGlencore is...

Glencore Slows Zinc Smelting As Energy Prices Sting
Glencore is planning on curbing zinc smelting at its Nordenham plant. The shutdown is yet another blow to European metal manufacturing, which has seen a wave of shutdowns amid the ongoing energy crisis.
Zinc’s production process is one of the most energy-intensive in base metals.

Glencore plans to place the zinc smelting line at its Nordenham plant in northern Germany on care and maintenance starting November 1. This represents yet another major blow to European metal manufacturing, which continues to see shutdowns amid the continent-wide energy crisis.

In an October 5 memo, the London and Johannesburg-listed company’s supervisory board chairman, Koen Demesmaeker stated that “the cessation of production is a reaction to various external factors affecting the business and wider European industry.” Demesmaeker also noted that the stoppage would remain in place until Europe’s macroeconomic conditions improve. A Glencore Group spokesperson did say that lead smelting at the site will continue as before.

Nordenham is in Germany’s Lower Saxony state, near its border with The Netherlands. The site can produce 164,000 metric tons per year of zinc and zinc alloys and up to 105,000 metric tons of lead. Glencore’s planned stoppage comes about one year after high energy prices prompted the company to put another smelter on care and maintenance. That time, it was the Portovesme zinc smelter located on the Italian island of Sardinia. Portovesme can produce around 100,000 metric tons per year of finished zinc.

Another smelter closure in August. This time an aluminium smelter.