Is South Africa’s Ferrochrome Industry Running Out of Time?
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GUEST - Nellis Bester – Chairperson of the Ferro Alloy Producers Association
South Africa sits on some of the richest chrome deposits in the world yet our ferrochrome smelters are going dark. We unpack the harsh reality facing one of South Africa’s most important value-added industries. From soaring power costs and policy uncertainty to the rise of Chinese smelting dominance, the country’s grip on the global ferrochrome market is slipping fast.
We ask: What went wrong? Can government interventions like export controls or preferential tariffs revive the sector? And what happens to the mining towns and communities left behind as furnaces shut down?
South Africa sits on some of the richest chrome deposits in the world yet our ferrochrome smelters are going dark. We unpack the harsh reality facing one of South Africa’s most important value-added industries. From soaring power costs and policy uncertainty to the rise of Chinese smelting dominance, the country’s grip on the global ferrochrome market is slipping fast.
We ask: What went wrong? Can government interventions like export controls or preferential tariffs revive the sector? And what happens to the mining towns and communities left behind as furnaces shut down?
