A fire occurred at Brazilian-based ferro-alloy producer Ferbasa on 1 November, damaging electrical power cables and furnace control cables in the ferro-silicon production area of its metallurgical plant.
The ferro-silicon and ferro-chrome producer said yesterday that it estimates the ferro-silicon furnace to return to full operations within eight days.
The fire did not disrupt the company's ferro-chrome production, the company said.
Ferbasa sold 65,405t of ferro-silicon and ferro-chrome in the second quarter of 2020, up from 55,704t a year earlier. Production rose to 77,839t from 64,955t over the same time period.
Some market participants noted within the week that this may be a tailwind to ferro-silicon sellers in the near term, as the disruption in supply lines may leave some market participants short on stocks.
Brazil was the largest source of US ferro-silicon imports in September. The US imported 5,034t of ferro-silicon (Si 55-80pc) from the country in the month, a high for 2020 and up from 1,275t a year earlier.
