Rio Tinto declares Force Majeure at US Copper smelter affected by earthquake

Published: Apr 3, 2020 13:49

Save

SMM4, March 3: Rio Tinto issued a statement of force majeure on Friday, saying it was unable to supply copper to customers.

Mining giant Rio Tinto suspended operations at the Kennecott copper, gold and silver mine and shut down its smelter after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck Utah on March 18, and the company is restarting its smelter.

The Kennecott mine, which employs about 2000 people, produced 51400 tons of refined copper in the fourth quarter of 2019 and 184600 tons of refined copper throughout 2019.

"Click to participate in the second China (Yingtan) Copper Industry Summit and the 15th China International Copper Industry chain Summit."

To sign up for the summit or apply to enter the SMM industry exchange group, please scan the code:

Rio Tinto mining earthquakes

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

13 hours ago

General Administration of Customs: China's March Copper Ore Imports Up MoM, Ore Supply Tightness Unchanged

13 hours ago

14 hours ago

Geopolitical Disruptions Sparked Market Caution, BC Copper Fluctuated and Closed Lower [SMM BC Copper Commentary]

14 hours ago

15 hours ago

China Copper Foil Customs Details, March 2026: Exports Hit a Single-Month Record High [SMM Analysis]

SMM Analysis: According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's copper foil (HS codes: 74101100, 74102190) imports in March 2026 were 8,220.04 mt, up 11.88% YoY and up 27.59% MoM...

15 hours ago