Japan Copper Smelters Expand and Streamline Operations

Domestic copper smelters improve the output capacity and efficiency when the cost increases for copper ore and oil and ore grade is getting worse under growing demand. Pan Pacific Copper, which is joint venture of Nippon Mining & Metals and Mitsui Mining & Smelting, streamlines the Saganoseki smelter in Oita to improve the efficiency while the firm expanded the capacity at Tamano smelter in Okayama. Sumitomo Metal Mining expanded the output capacity to annual 410,000 tonnes by late November while Mitsubishi Materials expands the capacity.

Pan Pacific Copper’s wholly owned subsidiary, Nikko Smelting & Refining finished the series of streamlining works at Saganoseki smelter since late fiscal 2004 ending March 2005. The smelter increased the concentrate treating capacity by more than 10% to 210 tonnes per hour to treat lower grade ore increasing sulfuric acid treating capacity. The firm also expanded the anode casting capacity while the firm removed a caster. The firm reduced the number of converters and refineries to reduce cost of maintenance and energy.

Hibi Kyodo Smelting, in which Pan Pacific Copper has interest, expanded the output capacity by 13% to 260,000 tonnes by October. The firm added slag cleaning furnace to recover copper from slag while the firm expanded the oxygen plant and sulfuric acid facilities.

Sumitomo Metal Mining added an oxygen plant to total 6 plants at Toyo smelter in Ehime to treat lower grade ore. With the expansion, the output capacity increased to 410,000 tonnes eyeing additional expansion to 450,000 tonnes depending on the demand.

Onahama Smelting & Refining, in which Mitsubishi Materials has 49.29% share, will introduce new smelting furnace of Mitsubishi method at the smelter in Fukushima in fiscal 2007. The expansion increases the concentrate treatment capacity from 160,000 tonnes to 200,000 tonnes. The smelter with annual 260,000 tonnes of electrolytic copper output capacity produces the copper with anode feed from Naoshima smelter due to limited capacity of smelting.