The dearth of BCL smelter�s business case

The lure of BCL smelter looks to be increasingly fading
The lure of BCL smelter looks to be increasingly fading

The provisional liquidator of BCL Mine has taken a risk and switched off the prized smelter, a decision analysts say will cause damage to the plant and significantly knock down its intrinsic value to any interested buyer.

Former BCL employee, Norman Kelaotswe says for it to maintain its value, the smelter is supposed to be kept running at all times at a holding temperature, and failure to do so would require about a P1-billion in refurbishments costs. 

“Restarting after a prolonged shutdown could result in lots of damage to the plant, which any investor will not be able to recoup,” said Kelaotswe who is also the Vice President of the Botswana Mine Workers Union.

Editor's Comment
Batswana need to do better to stop FMD

It is a clear signal that the government’s purse is empty and that our own behaviour has left veterinary officials fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. We have been here before. During COVID-19, many of us thought we knew better. We ignored simple rules, we carried on as if the danger was someone else’s problem, and the virus took lives and left our economy on its knees. We are still broke from that experience. Yet now, with FMD...

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