Our View: Sales show the power of trona ore

Businesses are going crazy for trona.

The ore, and the soda-ash generated from it, are the focus of a few major business acquisitions that have a lot of people in Sweetwater County talking.

With OCI’s recent announcement that it will sell its trona mine west of Green River, the move follows a trend started in 2008 with the purchase of General Chemical by Tata Chemicals. During the last year, two of the four trona mines have been sold to other companies. While some would interpret this as a sign that the trona industry might be headed for a rough patch, considering how quickly the established companies are selling their interest, the fact of the matter is trona as a very strong commodity.

Tata Chemical bought General Chemical to make it, according to the company website, the second largest producer of soda ash in the world. Tata operates soda ash facilities in four continents and undoubtedly made the purchase in response to the larger demand for soda ash in India and China. Soda ash, as many people around here know, is used in a number of every day applications such as glass manufacturing, baking soda and laundry detergent.

With the heavy construction boom in China and India due to their booming economies, soda ash is a prime component in construction.

Trona is a steady commodity that provides 19 percent of Sweetwater County’s assessed valuation. Trona is strong because it doesn’t experience heavy fluctuations in its value. Yes, oil and gas can provide much more money to the state and county coffers, but as any local politician will attest, the amount it brings in can change rapidly. The state and many local governments are keeping an eye on how much the county’s valuation will decline because of oil and gas.

While not providing the lion’s share of the county budget, trona is steady and it’s dependable.

Trona isn’t going away any time soon. Beneath the ground exists a deposit that will outlive anyone alive today. Trona will continue to be a vital, every day mineral used in a wide variety of applications.

The idea of the ore losing value in the future is simply wrong. With so much interest in trona in the 21st century, the residents of Sweetwater County have nothing to worry about when a mine is sold.

If anything, it’s proof positive that trona mining is a great investment and stable business model and like trona, our county is a great place to invest in.