BHP said Tuesday that it plans to restart its Temco manganese alloy facility in Tasmania and intends to have all four furnaces operating by the end of August.

 

Following operating losses, BHP had suspended operations at the facility for 90 days to review its economic viability, it said in a statement.

 

"One of the key changes as we restart will be the operational separation of the Temco alloying facility from the Gemco mine, located in the Northern Territory. This separation introduces the ability to blend in other ore sources, which will improve operating performance while also allowing us to consider the strategic fit of Temco operations inside BHP Billiton's portfolio," BHP Billiton Manganese President Tom Schutte said.