The Australian Government is supporting the development of a $400 million Electrolysis Plant in Hobart, Tasmania with a $50 million funding commitment through the 2022-23 Federal Budget.
The State Government previously committed $20 million towards the Nyrstar Hobart zinc smelter and the confirmation of investment from the Federal Government will push the project to proceed with construction.
“Today’s announcement by the Federal Government demonstrates again the value of what we do in Australia and the importance of this new Electrolysis Plant to our sector and Tasmania.
“This ensures that the next generation of employees and businesses in Tasmania will continue to play an important role in the manufacturing of zinc, a mineral critical for the transition to a low carbon world,” Nyrstar Australia Vice President Dale Webb said.
The new Electrolysis Plant is anticipated to generate about 600 jobs at the facility and support up to 5,000 indirect jobs in Hobart as well as through Nyrstar’s interlinked operations in Port Pirie, South Australia.
Construction of the new facility is expected to take about 28 months to complete and will see up to 200 people employed during the peak construction period.
“A new Electrolysis Plant will also address safety and environmental issues as well as improve production capacity – meaning more zinc can be produced for less power, resulting in increased production and energy efficiency.
“Nyrstar is already an important part of our booming exports sector that has continually experienced record highs over the past 18 months,” Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing Guy Barnett said.
Nyrstar has been in operation in Tasmania for more than 100 years and it has become an important business in the State.
The company’s Hobart smelter is known as one of the world’s largest zinc smelters in terms of production volume, which focuses on high value-added products for export to global markets – primarily in Asia.
The existing Nyrstar Hobart facility is located on the western bank of the Derwent River Estuary.
Source: Nyrstar (1, 2); Premier of Tasmania – News; Australian Mining