Grupo Mexico's Asarco to reopen US copper smelter amid surging prices

Asarco, the mining company controlled by industrial conglomerate Grupo Mexico, is planning to restart its mothballed copper smelter in the United States as prices for the red metal hit record highs, two sources with direct knowledge of the company's plans told Reuters.

Asarco, first bought by Grupo Mexico in 1999, is in negotiations with unionized workers to restart the Hayden smelter in Arizona and nearby copper mines, as well as the Amarillo refinery in Texas, the sources said.