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Sublime Technologies and Silicon Technology granted leave to intervene in silica mine case

By  |  April 4, 2012

The Competition Tribunal has granted Sublime Technologies and Silicon Technology leave to intervene in the review of the Competition Commission’s blocked mine sale. The Commission had prohibited a R259 million sale of Petmin’s SamQuarz silica mine to Thaba Chueu Mining because of concerns with market foreclosure or raised input costs in the silica market.

Sublime Technologies is a customer of SamQuarz and a competitor of Silicon Smelters for ferrosilicon. Silicon Smelters is the holding company of Thaba Chueu Mining. Sublime Technology gets all its supply from SamQuarz. The two companies are to help the Tribunal determine the markets for silica, silicon metal, ferrosilicon, silicon carbide, silica fume and silicon slag. They will also assist in evaluating input costs in the downstream market for ferrosilicon, silicon slag and silica fume.

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