Moth balling a plant is saying that you are not going away. To get maximum bang from a comment you say 'Closing'.

What they could be saying is - Government, give me a few million $ to convert the plant from zinc and copper to nickel and copper.

The incentive or bargaining chip are the preservation of jobs in a region and time that need them badly.

The spin is probably on Xstrata's part, I am just making a suggestion of one far fetched possibility.