Even while global treatment and refining (TCs/RCs) languish at multi-year lows and Asian margins remain under pressure, the United States is seeing a renewed push to build or expand primary copper smelting capacity. That is a curious twist in a tough market. Grupo México is considering modernizing and restarting its Hayden smelter in the US State of Arizona. It has been shut since 2019. Falcon Copper, a relative newcomer, is evaluating a $2 billion greenfield smelter and refinery in the western US. This project was highlighted in a recent US-Japan joint factsheet. It outlines potential Japanese participation as ... (full story)