South Africa Targets 45 Operating Ferrochrome Smelters by Year-End With New Electricity Tariff Relief: Media
17:24 28.02.2026 (Updated: 17:44 28.02.2026)
© telegram sputnik_africa
/ Subscribe
South Africa Targets 45 Operating Ferrochrome Smelters by Year-End With New Electricity Tariff Relief: Media
SA power company Eskom has cut electricity tariffs by a further 29% for Samancor Chrome and Glencore's joint venture with Merafe Resources to prevent mass layoffs in the ferrochrome sector, a Western news outlet reported.
The new tariff of 62 cents per kilowatt-hour replaces the interim rate of 87.74 cents set in January, it added.
"As a result of this intervention, we expect that by December of this year, we're going to have 45 smelters operating, and by December 2027, we will have 49 smelters operating," Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said.
Once the world's top ferrochrome processor, South Africa has ceded that position to China largely due to soaring electricity costs. Ferrochrome, produced by combining chromium and iron in energy-intensive smelters, is a key source in steel manufacturing.
AI-generated image
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
