Russia Upgrades Raw Material Production Lines, Utah Repairs Magnesium Plant Environment [SMM Survey]

Russia's Solikamsk Magnesium Plant Advances Chlorine Production Modernization to Secure Core Smelting Raw Material Supply

Solikamsk Magnesium Plant (SMP), a subsidiary of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), has launched the second phase of modernization for its chlorine production. As a globally significant magnesium production facility, this upgrade directly serves the plant's core magnesium smelting process.

Magnesium production heavily relies on chlorine as a key raw material and process medium. After completing the first phase of upgrades in 2025, the plant is already capable of producing high-grade liquid chlorine. The new generation of chlorine filtration equipment currently being installed aims to enhance the efficiency and purity of chlorine production, thereby ensuring a stable, efficient, and environmentally friendly magnesium smelting process.

This upgrade will not only supplement chlorine supply for municipal and industrial users in the Ural region but, more importantly, provides reliable, high-grade raw material security for the plant's own magnesium smelting and derivative product production. This helps consolidate Russia's autonomy in the industry chain for critical strategic metals.

Utah State Government Acquires Bankrupt Magnesium Plant Assets for $30 Million, Balancing Great Salt Lake Water Replenishment and Advanced Mineral Development

The Utah state government recently successfully bid $30 million in a bankruptcy auction to acquire the assets of US Magnesium's plant located on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, outbidding an affiliate of its parent company. This move aims to address the long-standing environmental risks associated with the plant and halt its practice of drawing industrial water from the Great Salt Lake, thereby retaining more water in the lake to combat the decades-long shrinkage crisis caused by drought and excessive water withdrawals.

Governor Spencer Cox stated that the acquisition is "a smart investment in Utah's future." As part of the deal, the state government plans to introduce advanced mineral extraction technologies in the future that consume less water, promoting more sustainable development of minerals (which may include lithium, magnesium, etc.), thereby supporting the critical mineral supply chain while protecting the ecosystem.

Previously, the magnesium plant had ceased operations in 2021 due to equipment failures and market conditions, and had drawn attention from environmental protection inspection teams and regulators due to issues such as chlorine and bromine emissions and pollutant leakage. This acquisition signifies the state government's direct intervention to balance the multiple objectives of environmental remediation, water resource protection, and strategic resource development.