Xstrata Technology’s ISASMELTTM top submerged lance (TSL) smelting technology
has been chosen for its third smelter project in India, with a contract signed
recently with Sterlite Industries (India) Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta
Resources plc (Sterlite). Chief Executive Joe Pease said Xstrata Technology
(XT) is providing a technology licence, engineering services and commissioning
services for the Tuticorin copper smelter expansion project. This is third time
Sterlite has chosen the ISASMELT™ technology for Tuticorin. The new furnace
will complement an existing ISASMELT™ and will have capacity to treat over 1.5
million tonnes a year of concentrate to produce 400,000 tonnes per year of
copper anodes.
The Sterlite metallurgical complex, in Tamil Nadu state near the southern tip
of India, started operations with its first ISASMELT™ in 1996. Success of this
installation led to a second plant in 2005, which is now followed by this
expansion. Pease said “Sterlite’s success is testominy to their operating
expertise, and to the inherent advantages of ISASMELT™ - low capital and
operating cost, high gas capture, and a myriad of ‘small’design features to
improve operations and maintenance life. Sterlite and Xstrata operators have
worked closely together over many years to continually improve design and
operating performance.
This plant knowledge and close ongoing relationship with licensees is the
distinguishing feature of XT’s technical package - we offer long term support
from expert operators of the technology”.
A new copper refinery will also be constructed as part of the expansion
project, with XT’s ISA PROCESS™ technology also being supplied under a separate
agreement. The new refinery will be adjacent to the existing ISA PROCESS™
refinery.
Copper ISASMELT™ furnaces are operating in India, Australia, Belgium, China,
Germany, Peru, the United States and Zambia and are currently processing more
than 6 million tonnes of raw materials per annum. This number is increasing
rapidly as new plants are under construction in Kazakhstan and Peru as well as
India.
The Sterlite project closely follows the award of a lead ISASMELT™ project in
China. XT recently streamlined its technology package to enable clients to
control capital cost while still drawing on XT’s considerable experience in TSL
smelter design and operation, and gaining access to the global network of
ISASMELT™ operators including Xstrata.
Xstrata Technology is a wholly owned subsidiary of Xstrata plc, a major global
diversified mining group, listed on the London and Swiss stock exchanges and
headquartered in Switzerland. For futher information about Xstrata plc please
see www.xstrata.com.
The Xstrata Technology division develops markets and supports technologies for
the global mining, mineral processing and metals extraction industries. These
technologies, originally developed for use in its own operations, are marketed
for use by third parties
