Richards Bay Minerals shuts furnace as engagement continues
July 21 2021 - 2:23AM
Business Wire
Rio Tinto’s Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) operation in South
Africa will shut one of its four furnaces due to the depletion of
available feedstock at the plant. This is the result of mining
operations being halted following an escalation in the security
situation at the operations which significantly hampered the mine’s
ability to operate safely. Rio Tinto declared Force Majeure on our
customer contracts at RBM on 30 June 2021.
The four furnaces at RBM are dependent on a stockpile of
feedstock, which is being steadily depleted. RBM’s decision to shut
one furnace will reduce the call on the stockpile and limit the
long-term impacts of a shutdown on the RBM’s furnaces.
Rio Tinto chief executive Minerals, Sinead Kaufman, said:
“Shutting a furnace has a major impact on the business and broader
community and it not a decision we have taken lighty. However, we
will not put production ahead of the safety of our people and there
are still fundamental criteria that must be met before we can
resume operations in a sustainable manner.
“We continue to work with national and provincial governments as
well as community structures to find a lasting solution to the
current situation so that operations can resume as soon as it is
possible to safely do so.”
RBM will regularly reassess the situation to make further
decisions on any potential restart or the shutting of the other
furnaces, depending on when the safety and security position
improves.
RBM is one of the largest businesses in KwaZulu-Natal, with a
workforce of some 5,000 people and the largest taxpayer in
KwaZulu-Natal. The company contributed R8 billion to the national
economy in 2020.
All operations at RBM remain halted until further notice.
This announcement is authorised for release to the market by
Steve Allen, Rio Tinto’s Group Company Secretary.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210720006316/en/
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Category: RBM Category: General
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