Australia Grants A$135 Million to Nyrstar for Smelter Support and Critical Metals Development

Published: Aug 5, 2025 17:14

Save

On August 5th, critical metals producer Nyrstar announced it has secured A$135 million in transitional funding from the Australian federal, South Australian, and Tasmanian governments to sustain operations at its multi-metals smelters in Port Pirie and Hobart, and to advance redevelopment and critical metals projects. The funding follows broader industry calls for government support amid declining smelter margins, including from Glencore’s Mount Isa operations. Combined with continued investment from Trafigura, the support will allow Nyrstar to maintain operations while accelerating researches into producing germanium and indium in Hobart and antimony and bismuth in Port Pirie, with an antimony pilot plant as the initial priority. The package also includes funding for major maintenance and infrastructure upgrades, including furnace and wharf investments in Hobart and asset integrity works in Port Pirie.
As Australia’s only lead refiner and largest zinc smelter, Nyrstar contributes around A$1.7 billion to the national economy annually, directly employing over 1,400 workers and supporting more than 6,600 indirect jobs. The company plays a key role in safeguarding Australia’s sovereign processing capacity. Nyrstar has committed to ongoing investment in its workforce and facilities while collaborating with governments on long-term strategic pathways. Zinc production in Hobart has been cut by 25% since April 2025, with no clear restart timeline.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

Feb 6, 2026 19:50

Lead Prices Stagnant, Smelters Maintain Firm Offers Amid Losses

Lead prices were in the doldrums, while secondary lead smelters maintained firm offers due to losses. The mainstream spot order ex-factory prices including tax narrowed the discount to the SMM #1 lead average price by 100 yuan/mt, shifting to a premium of 0–25 yuan/mt, with some smelters halting offers and sales.

Feb 6, 2026 19:50

Feb 6, 2026 19:49

"Domestic Secondary Crude Lead Market Slows as Holidays Approach, Smelters Halt Production"

Pre-holiday stockpiling by downstream enterprises had largely concluded, and a few had already entered the holiday period, completely suspending procurement. Next week, secondary lead smelters will enter a concentrated wave of production halts and holidays, resulting in sluggish trading activity in the spot market. Offers for spot refined lead orders were sparse, with prices moving in line with the market.

Feb 6, 2026 19:49

Feb 6, 2026 19:48

Sluggish Transactions in Domestic Secondary Crude Lead Market, Prices at 15,250-15,400 Yuan/mt

The domestic secondary crude lead market experienced sluggish transactions. As of February 6, 2026, the ex-factory tax-exclusive offers for domestic secondary crude lead stood at 15,250-15,400 yuan/mt. Downstream refined lead and alloy smelters gradually entered the holiday period, showing weak stockpiling willingness. Overseas lead ingot suppliers basically halted transactions with China due to poor consumption in the Chinese market, with only some previously concluded shipments maintaining normal in-transit transportation. The trading atmosphere in the secondary crude lead market will continue to weaken next week.

Feb 6, 2026 19:48