Phosphate Hill’s fertiliser production at risk if Glencore closes copper smelter
North Queensland’s ability to produce fertiliser for its cane farms could be in jeopardy if Glencore pushes ahead with closing its Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville copper refinery.
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North Queensland’s ability to produce much-needed fertiliser for its cane farms could be severely hampered if Swiss mining giant Glencore pushes ahead with closing its Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville copper refinery, an advocacy body has warned.
Already planning to close its Mount Isa Mines underground copper operation in July, Glencore has created concern in the community by threatening to close its key copper processing assets, and jeopardise 17,000 jobs, unless governments intervened with a rescue package.
Townsville Enterprise’s five-part documentary series “Keep Our Copper” has driven home the importance of supporting the industry, with its final episode The Chain Reaction – Why farmers are fearing the smelter closure, highlighting other potential consequences for the region.
Located 140km northwest of Mount Isa, Dyno Nobel’s Phosphate Hill fertiliser plant, is already struggling with energy costs, with its challenges to be compounded further if the Mount Isa Smelter was closed.
Dyno Nobel turnaround manager Matt Johnson said the plant produced about 3000 tonnes of ammonium phosphate fertiliser per day, while supporting 540 direct employees and around 2500 indirect employees.
He said they needed the sulfur dioxide produced by the Mount Isa copper smelter to create sulfuric acid, which was needed to make phosphoric acid and fertiliser.
“It’s the only ammonium phosphate fertiliser producer in Australia. We ship out a manufactured, refined product as fertiliser out to the country,” Mr Johnson said.
“(Phosphate Hill has) the ability to take a rock out of the ground and turn it into a product that is extremely useful.”
Hinchinbrook Shire Council mayor Raymon Jayo expressed concern about the future operations of the Mount Isa copper smelter.
“We rely heavily on phosphate fertilisers to produce our crops,” Mr Jayo said.
“I am concerned that if the smelter operations cease, then Phosphate Hill will either have to source its sulfuric acid from elsewhere, at significant cost to the production, or worse still, just cease production entirely.
Townsville Enterprise chief executive Claudia Brumme-Smith warned that closing the copper smelter and refinery could have impacts far beyond the copper industry, creating a chain reaction that would devastate regional jobs, manufacturing capabilities, and national supply chains.
“If the copper smelter shuts down, Phosphate Hill is also at risk. This is bigger than copper — it’s about protecting regional manufacturing, safeguarding food security, and sustaining thousands of jobs across North Queensland,” Ms Brumme-Smith said.
“We are five minutes to midnight. A solution must be found to keep our copper — and our future — in North Queensland.”
For more information, visit: www.keepourcopper.com.au.
Keep our Copper docuseries
• Episode 1: Why the Smelter Matters: The cornerstone of Australia’s copper supply chain
• Episode 2: Unearthed Potential: Mining the Demand Boom
• Episode 3: Townsville’s Refinery Reckoning: will we take our copper to the world?
• Episode 4: From Surviving to Thriving: the game changers to fuel our region’s copper revival
• Episode 5: The Chain Reaction: Why Farmers are fearing the Smelter closure
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