Nyrstar Reaches Agreement with Korea Zinc on Tennessee Smelting Assets

Published: Dec 16, 2025 17:59

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Nyrstar announced on December 15 that it has entered into an agreement with Korea Zinc regarding a transaction involving the East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee mining complexes and the Clarksville zinc smelter in the US state of Tennessee, which are currently owned or operated by Nyrstar. Under the terms of the proposed deal, Korea Zinc plans to acquire the fully permitted sites in Tennessee and develop a new large-scale, fully integrated smelting facility in Clarksville. The transaction remains subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the first half of 2026. Under the agreement, zinc metal production from the Clarksville smelter in 2026 will continue to be sold to Trafigura. The Clarksville smelter is currently the only primary zinc smelter in the United States and has been in operation for nearly 50 years. Together with the associated East and Middle Tennessee mining complexes, the assets form a key domestic US mine-to-metals value chain. The operations benefit from highly skilled workforce, favourable geological and operating conditions, strong logistics and relatively low power costs, which add to the overall asset value. Nyrstar will continue to invest in its smelting operations in Australia and Europe, while working closely with the US administration to support the development of critical minerals supply chains. This includes continued support for the US–Australia Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Project Pipeline.

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