Sunshine To Close Its Antimony Plant

Sunshine Mining and Refining Co. will close its antimony plant in Big Creek, Idaho, by mid-June.

The closure is a cost-cutting measure, said Harry Cougher, vice president of operations. Thirteen employees will lose their jobs. Some may be hired in other parts of the company, he said.

Antimony is a byproduct of silver mining at the Sunshine Mine. Prices for the mineral, used as a fire retardant in clothing and paint and in producing high-quality glass, have fallen sharply in the past five years. The company expected to receive only 43 cents per pound for antimony this year, compared with $2.50 in the mid-1990s.

At those prices, it’s more cost effective to send the antimony to the smelter in the silver concentrate, Cougher said. Sunshine separated it out in the past, to avoid paying a smelter penalty, he said.

The antimony plant was opened during World War II, when the mineral was in demand for the war effort.