<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/small-metals-big-stakes-inside-australias-smelter-reset/>
"Australia’s decision to keep its Port Pirie and Hobart smelters running with
an A$135 million infusion for Trafigura while steering them into antimony and
germanium is a quiet but important move in the energy transition. It is
industrial policy aimed at the part of clean technology that most people never
see.
The fibre networks, sensors and flame retardants people often talk about rely
on metals that are produced in small volumes, move through opaque flowsheets,
and have pricing that can swing on a policy notice.
When a government puts public money into century-old smelters, it is not
nostalgia. It is a bet that processing capacity in friendly jurisdictions
matters as much as mines.
Port Pirie has been smelting since the nineteenth century and still runs as a
complex multi-metal site anchored on lead. Hobart is a zinc refinery that
generates residues rich enough in special elements to be worth a second look
with modern circuits.
Australia also has an integrated copper smelter at Olympic Dam, while the Mount
Isa chain is under strain after the underground mine closure. The Port Kembla
copper smelter closed years ago and lives on as a remediation story."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
