Glencore Weighs Quebec Copper Shutdown Over Arsenic Issues

Glencore Plc is suspending nearly C$1 billion ($733 million) in investment plans for a century-old Canadian copper smelter after talks with the government of Quebec over arsenic emissions reached an impasse.

Glencore executives were on site Tuesday in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, about 390 miles northwest of Montreal, to announce that upgrades to the Horne Smelter are being halted and the plant is potentially on a path to closing. The company and Quebec have failed to reach an agreement on the timeline and targets for cutting harmful pollution.