U.S. Gulf:
Recent Gulf import sulfuric acid price slipped to the $260-$270/mt CFR range for the week, players reported, a decline from the last reported $270-$280/mt CFR level.
Gulf Coast:
Gulf Coast-delivered sulfuric acid contracts were reported in a wide $195-$280/st DEL range for 2022 agreements.
Midwest:
The 2022 Midwest market was reported even with the Gulf at $195-$280/st DEL.
West Coast:
Sources reported the West Coast market at $185-$270/st DEL for 2022 annual contracts.
Brazil:
Last-done at Brazil remained in the $280-$285/mt CFR range.
Chile:
Chile state-owned copper producer Codelco on June 17 said it would permanently shut its Ventanas smelter, Reuters reported, following an environmental incident that left dozens sick and the threat of a workers strike should Codelco fail to invest in upgrades to the plant.
The Federation of Copper Workers (FTC) has argued that the plant requires a $53 million investment for gas-collecting capsules to modernize the facility and bring it into environmental compliance. The company reportedly responded that any such upgrades would be equal to the cost of building a new facility entirely.
The FTC on June 18 said it would prepare for a national strike in response to the announcement of the facility’s reported closure, without offering any details. Codelco is the world’s largest copper producer.
India:
More than four years after permanently shuttering the Sterlite Copper smelter, located in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state, Vedanta has listed the mothballed facility for sale, The Economic Times reported. Sterlite was ordered to permanently halt operations in 2018 after police opened fire on a group protesting alleged environmental violations at the plant, killing 13.
The closure of the facility, capable of producing 1.2 million mt/y of sulfuric acid, 230,000 mt/y of phosphoric acid, and 400,000 mt/y of copper cathode, significantly altered the fundamentals of India’s sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid markets.
Vedanta has been locked in an ongoing battle with the country’s Supreme Court to reopen the facility, but has made little progress in that effort.