Sinomine Resource Group Temporarily Halts Copper Smelting Operations at Namibian Tsumeb Smelter Due to Supply Shortage

Published: Jun 8, 2025 07:27
Recently, China's Sinomine Resource Group announced that its Tsumeb copper smelter in Namibia has temporarily suspended copper smelting operations. According to the group, the shutdown is due to the rapid expansion of global copper smelting capacity, which has led to a shortage of copper concentrates supply. In 2024, Sinomine Resource Group acquired the Tsumeb smelter. The smelter is one of the few facilities globally capable of processing copper concentrates containing arsenic and lead. It has an annual processing capacity of up to 240,000 mt of copper concentrates and has previously processed metal ores from countries such as Chile, Peru, and Bulgaria.

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