Sinomine Acquires Tsumeb Smelter to Boost Germanium Production

Sinomine Resource

Chinese mining giant aims to enhance its portfolio with germanium from Namibian facility

Sinomine Resource, a major Chinese mining company, has finalized the acquisition of the Tsumeb smelter in Namibia from Dundee Precious Metals. This move is part of Sinomine's strategy to expand its germanium production capabilities. The Tsumeb smelter, with an initial capacity of 260,000 tons per year for blister copper, is set to be upgraded to handle 370,000 tons per year. It is one of the few smelters equipped to process complex concentrates like high arsenic-copper concentrate.

Resource Potential and Strategic Focus

The smelter's polymetallic slags contain an estimated 2.94 million tons of ore, which includes 746 tons of germanium, 410 tons of gallium, and other significant metals. Germanium is crucial for various industries, including information and communication technology, biological science, aviation, and new energy sectors. With global germanium reserves at 8,600 tons, China has prioritized this resource as strategic.

Sinomine will conduct a feasibility study to upgrade the smelter and integrate germanium and zinc production, aiming for commercial output in the near future. The company has not provided additional details on the project's timeline.