Glencore Technology (Glencore), with operations in Canada, recently celebrated the manufacture of the two millionth ISA cathode plate at Glencore’s Townsville Copper Refinery in Australia. It was a moment of celebration for the technology teams and also represented over 40 years of the development of the IsaKidd technology that has transformed the global copper industry.
The IsaKidd stainless steel cathode technology, initially known as the Isa Process, was developed at the Townsville Copper Refinery during 1977-78, gradually replacing the original copper starter plate technology. The success of the technology at the Townsville Copper Refinery soon saw it licenced to other copper producers, with the first licence agreement signed with White Pine, USA for its copper refinery conversion in 1982.
Glencore’s ISA cathodes are now in use worldwide, with over nine million tonnes per annum of copper cathode capacity installed in 26 countries across 76 different refinery and electro-winning operations.