Dry season, maintenance extend decline in operating rates across silicon plants

In H1 2026, Americas moly supply divergence deepened. Despite stronger mining profits, overall output failed to rebound. While H2 may see recoveries at select large mines, supply elasticity remains constrained. Which operations are dragging on supply, and where will incremental growth emerge? SMM data reveals a market entering a new phase of "stronger margins, diverging production, and concentrated incremental gains."...

September 11, 2026.

Tharisa confirmed its transition to underground mining at its flagship Tharisa Mine, on the southwestern limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex, remains on time and within budget, running in parallel with the Karo Platinum Project's construction financing in Zimbabwe. Development of the Apollo underground complex, which commenced in March 2026, is progressing toward first run-of-mine ore in the current quarter, with steady-state production of 255,000 mt per month targeted by the third quarter of calendar year 2029. The Orion complex is expected to follow, targeting first ore in financial year 2031 and steady-state production by the third quarter of calendar year 2033. Together, Tharisa said the two underground complexes are expected to extend mining at the Tharisa Mine, which co-produces chrome concentrate alongside PGMs from the same orebody, for more than 60 years beyond depletion of the current open pit. The underground project is fully funded through development loans from Absa and Standard Bank and an asset-based revolving facility from Nedbank, funding that sits separately from the US$300 million Nordic bond raised this week for Karo. The company did not break out what share of Apollo or Orion's future run-of-mine ore output will be chrome-bearing material versus PGM-bearing material, leaving the underground transition's specific impact on Tharisa's chrome concentrate volumes still to be clarified as the two complexes ramp up toward steady state.