LE BRIEF

South Africa: Glencore progressively restarts smelters and increases ferrochrome production by 29%

LE BRIEF • 2026-10-30

Attributable ferrochrome output rose 29% in the third quarter compared with the previous quarter. Plant restarts are continuing, with Wonderkop returning to operation in October.

Original source : Original source

LE BRIEF — Friday, 30 October 2026 edition By the LE BRIEF newsroom Country : South Africa Source publication : 29 October 2026 Event : Third-quarter 2026 report; Wonderkop restarted in October Supplied photograph: smelting activity. Illustration; the facility is not identified as Lion, Boshoek or Wonderkop. Provenance and reproduction rights must be validated before commercial use. Mining group Glencore has announced a 29% increase in attributable ferrochrome production in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the previous quarter. The improvement forms part of the progressive restart of several industrial facilities in South Africa. The Lion smelter in Limpopo resumed operations earlier in the year. Boshoek, in North West province, restarted in September. Restarts continue after the quarter Wonderkop followed in October. This latest restart took place after the end of the third quarter and must therefore not be presented as a cause of the increase already measured over July–September. The restarts are progressively restoring important industrial capacity for chrome processing. Ferrochrome is an essential alloy in stainless steel manufacturing. South Africa holds a strategic position in this industry thanks to its substantial chromite resources. However, ferrochrome production requires large amounts of electricity. Energy costs and the reliability of electricity supplies t...