Copper-Ore Growth Seen by Freeport Driving Treatment Fees Higher
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Higher inventories of semi-processed copper ore are driving up charges levied by smelters to treat the metal, according to Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., the world’s second-largest copper miner.
Fees to process so-called concentrate are rising because smelters shut for maintenance, reducing output, and more supply from mines is coming to the market, IntierraRMG said in a report this week. The charges exceed $100 a metric ton and 10 cents a pound, according to the Toronto-based researcher.