U.S. Gulf:
Century Aluminum announced plans to idle production at its 250,000 mt/y Hawesville, Ky., aluminum smelter due to rising production costs, the Associated Press reported.
The plant is expected to power down in August and remain offline for a minimum 9-12 months. Century cited rising power costs as a primary reason for the shutdown. More than 600 workers will be laid off.
Sulfuric acid vessels imported to the U.S. Gulf saw price ideas in the $260-$270/mt CFR range, unmoved from the prior report.
Gulf Coast:
U.S. Gulf Coast rail-DEL tons were noted in a wide $195-$280/st range for 2022 contracts.
Midwest:
Players quoted Midwest pricing on par with the Gulf Coast at $195-$280/st DEL for the full 2022 contract year.
West Coast:
Sulacid tons slated for West Coast delivery were pegged at $185-$270/st DEL for annual agreements.
Brazil:
With nothing new reported, Brazil import sulfuric acid cargoes continued to see price ideas in the $280-$285/mt CFR range, unmoved from week-ago levels.
Chile:
The Federation of Copper Workers (FTC) and state-run copper producer Codelco on June 23 announced a deal to end a nationwide strike that began on June 22, Reuters reported. The FTC initiated the strike in response to a Codelco plan to close the troubled Ventanas smelter to avoid investing in costly environmental upgrades.
Codelco made the decision to close the facility after an environmental event sickened dozens in the surrounding community. Workers demanded Codelco install gas-capturing capsules at the facility, while Codelco argued the cost of such upgrades would equal the price of a new smelter.
The announced agreement does not include the environmental investments sought by the FTC, and the Ventanas smelter remains slated to permanently shut down, a process expected to take years. Codelco is the world’s largest copper producer.