NEW YORK — Doe Run Co. has begun the process of restarting its primary lead smelter at Herculaneum, Mo., and the company expects to meet its production targets for May.

The facility was closed for repairs following an electrical fire March 20 that forced power to the site to be shut down. The company subsequently declared force majeure, saying that production would be halted for four to six weeks (AMM, March 30).

Jose Hansen, vice president of sales and marketing at St. Louis-based Doe Run, told AMM Friday that the operation is back online. "All the repairs to the electrical system have been completed, and we’ve begun the process of restarting the plant," he said.

While some production has already resumed, Hansen said that the facility is not yet in a "continuous production" mode. "It will take a few days to make all the adjustments."

He said the company intends to make up for lost tonnage. "Our annual production rate is 130,000 tons of lead, and that’s what we are planning to produce this year," he said.

Hansen told AMM sister publication Metal Bulletin last month that the company is set to close its existing smelter at Herculaneum by December 2013 as part of previously announced plans to build a new lead refinery at the site.