Late January saw leading borates producer Rio Tinto Minerals declare "force majeure" on sales of sodium borate grades owing to disruption to mining at Boron, California, after it was impacted by the heavy rain storms that hit the region in alter December 2010. Gary Goldberg, CEO of RTM said: "We declared force majeure on our sodium borate products on 26 January, until further notice. A year's rain fell in just one week during December and we have just finished dewatering the pit." Owing to flooding, RTM was unable to enter the mine for a week and it has taken 3-4 weeks to secure access to even low grade ore. "We had limited access to the ore, and the mine only re-opened on the weekend of 22 January, and the plant is back to full capacity now." he added.
