Dundee to shut down arsenic plantThe company will redeploy about 50 workers who will be affected by the closure. Company to concentrate on building core business 0 Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb (DPMT) intention to close its arsenic plant by end of the year due to low turnover is driven by its desire to focus on its core copper smelting business.This was announced by DMPT''s vice-president and managing director, Zebra Kasete on Monday.
He told journalists that the company wants to focus on optimising and expanding its core smelter operations after realising that the plant is no longer adding value to the business.
Kasete also said the plant is old and would require a substantial amount to be able to continue with the arsenic operations.
According to Kasete, the current plant''s facility has limited options for expansion.
“The arsenic production represented a small portion of the company''s business and was producing low return. It is on this basis that management saw it fit to close down the plant,” Kasete said. Arsenic and its compounds, especially the trioxide, are used in the production of pesticides, treated wood products, herbicides, and insecticides.
Kasete said no official date has been set for the closure because DPMT intends to meet its contractual obligations to provide arsenic up to the end of 2016 after which the closure plan will be implemented.
He also said the 50 employees who work at the arsenic plant will not be affected by the closure saying they will be redeployed to other operations within the company.
“We are currently negotiating with our stakeholders who are the employees who work at the plant and their customers who buy the product,” he said.
Kasete also informed the media that DPMT has commenced studies to expand the smelter operations and the company is looking for alternative solutions to waste disposal when the current site has reached its full capacity. He also shared the success of DPMT''s N$3.9 billion sulphuric acid plant which opened last year and that the new acid plant captures up to 95% of the sulphur dioxide emissions that plagued Tsumeb since the smelter was established over 50 years ago. “It has made a notable contribution to the improvement of the air quality in Tsumeb,” Kasete said.
KENYA KAMBOWE