Glencore-Sibanye Deal for Chrome Recovery Plants Cleared by Competition Commission
Competition Commission Approves Glencore-Sibanye Acquisition of South African Chrome Recovery Plants
The Competition Commission has recommended that the Competition Tribunal approve the acquisition of certain chrome recovery plants (CRPs) by Glencore Operations South Africa (GOSA) on behalf of the Glencore-Merafe pooling and sharing venture (PSV) and Sibanye-Stillwater, without any conditions.
Sibanye-Stillwater owns and operates multiple CRPs at its South African platinum group metals mining operations, while GOSA also controls a number of CRPs.
The parties announced in February that the PSV would operate both Sibanye-Stillwater’s and GOSA’s CRPs to leverage operational synergies and boost chrome output.
The Competition Commission stated that the proposed transaction is unlikely to substantially lessen or prevent competition in any market and does not raise significant public interest concerns.
South Africa, once a major ferrochrome producer, now exports most of its chrome to China, where it is used in ferrochrome production and subsequently in stainless steel manufacturing.
Mining Weekly reported earlier this month that the country’s ferrochrome industry is seeking solutions to declining production, noting that South Africa produced approximately 27 million tons of chrome ore in 2024, of which only about seven million tons could be converted to ferrochrome.
