BackSterlite copper smelter stays shut until at least 14 May
National Green Tribunal says an expert panel report has to be given to all parties, sets next hearing for 14 May
Premium(Reuters)
New Delhi: Sterlite Industries India Ltd’s copper smelter will stay shut until at least 14 May when the National Green Tribunal meets again to review the case, a judge said on Wednesday, prolonging a six-week shutdown that has pushed up copper concentrate processing fees in Asia.
The country’s top copper-smelting plant, which meets half of India’s copper demand, was closed on 30 March after residents complained of emissions that led to breathing problems.
Justice Swatanter Kumar of the National Green Tribunal, a special fast-track environmental court, said an expert panel’s report had to be given to all parties and set the next hearing for 14 May.
The smelter’s closure has pushed about 3,000 tonnes per day of copper concentrates onto the market. The plant produces 30,000 tonnes of refined copper a month and nearly half of the output goes to China.
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