PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Zinc major Nyrstar on Friday announced it had secured bi-partisan support for its investment in the construction of a new electrolysis plant at the company’s ‘Zinc Works’ operations in Hobart, ensuring a long- term future for metals refining in Australia.

Nyrstar earlier this month announced that the project would require an investment of approximately A$400-million in total, with the federal government committing A$50-million of project funding and the Tasmanina government a further A$20-million.

The new electrolysis plant will incorporate the latest technology that will enable a step change in the performance of the Zinc Works, increasing the competitiveness of high-quality Australian zinc across international markets and enabling greater recovery of minerals and metals at the company’s Port Pirie facility in South Australia.

The development of the new electrolysis plant will secure the future of 500 direct jobs in Tasmania and in total approximately 1 600 direct jobs and over 5 000 indirect jobs across Nyrstar’s Australian operations in both Hobart and Port Pirie, the hometowns of Nyrstar Australia’s interlinked operations.

Nyrstar’s VP for its Australian operations, Dale Webb said that a A$50-million commitment from the Australian Labor party demonstrated the important national contribution this project will make towards maximising the value from Australia’s mineral resources.

“This project will ensure that the next generation of employees in Tasmania will continue to play an important role in the manufacturing of zinc, a critical mineral for the transition to a low carbon world and essential to prolonging the useful life of steel in buildings.

“Together with Nyrstar Australia’s interlinked Port Pirie multi-metals refining facility, Hobart’s Zinc Works enables a greater recovery of minerals and metals that are important to global supply chains.”

Australia’s federal election will take place on May 21.