Glencore Restarts Two South African Ferrochrome Smelters, Q3 Output Up 29%

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 29, Glencore disclosed that its South African ferrochrome smelting operations continue to recover in phases, with the Boshoek smelter restarted in September and the Wonderkop smelter commencing production recovery in October, after the Lion smelter had already resumed operations earlier in the year. As smelting capacity gradually returns, Glencore's attributable ferrochrome production in Q3 reached 125,000 tonnes, an increase of 28,000 tonnes from Q2, up 29% quarter-on-quarter.

Glencore's attributable ferrochrome production for the first three quarters of 2026 was 235,000 tonnes, a decrease of 201,000 tonnes year-on-year, down 46%. At the beginning of the year, most of the company's ferrochrome smelting facilities remained under care and maintenance, with the Lion smelter beginning phased production recovery from March, after which the recovery scope gradually expanded to Boshoek and Wonderkop.

The restart is directly linked to South Africa's electricity supply cost arrangements. After Glencore and Eskom completed a new electricity pricing agreement in June, preparations began for the resumption of operations at Boshoek and Wonderkop. Glencore expects that the capacity ramp-up at the two smelters will continue through Q4 2026.

Chrome ore also saw a quarterly rebound. Glencore's attributable chrome ore production in Q3 was 906,000 tonnes, up 11% from 817,000 tonnes in Q2; cumulative production for the first three quarters was 2.553 million tonnes, down 7% year-on-year. Chrome ore production includes some chrome resources supplied to the company's own ferrochrome smelting operations.