By Confidente reporter DUNDEE Precious Metals will end its operations at the arsenic plant in Tsumeb at the end of this year, because of the plant’s lack of sufficient revenue. This was confirmed by Dundee vice president and Managing Director Zebra Kasete, while addressing journalists in Tsumeb recently. Kasete also confirmed that the closure of the arsenic plant would in no way have any effect on the operations of the acid plant. The latter was inaugurated early this year and was built largely to address concerns of low environment standards at the plant by capturing arsenic emissions and using them to produce sulphuric acid, which is sold to mines in Namibia and around the world. Kasete noted that arsenic plant had supplied industrial input product for use in wood preservation, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides to companies in Malaysia and South Africa but its production recently represents a small portion of the company’s business and it is producing low revenues. He further added that they want their complete focus to be on optimising and expanding core smelter operations. Dundee intends to meet its contractual obligations to provide arsenic to the end of 2016 after which the closure plan will be implemented. The approximately 50 employees who were stationed at the plant will be redeployed to other operations and roles within the company as they were all informed earlier. Kasete also informed the media that Dundee has commenced studies to expand its smelter operations and is looking to alternative solutions to waste disposal when the current site has reached its full capacity. Kasete further gave update on the success of Dundee’s new sulphuric acid plant which opened last year. He said that the plant captures up to 95 percent of the SO2 emissions that plagued Tsumeb since the smelter was established over 50 years ago and it has made a notable contribution to the improvement of the air quality in Tsumeb.
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