CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Nyrstar completed the sale of its U.S. assets – including the East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee mining complexes and the Clarksville smelter – to Korea Zinc on Wednesday.
The transaction, first announced in December 2025, has received all required regulatory and governmental approvals, according to a press release. Assets and employees have transferred to Korea Zinc.
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Korea Zinc will build a new $6.6 billion smelter that will be known as Crucible Zinc, and it will also house the company’s U.S. headquarters. Crucible Zinc will create 420 new jobs in Montgomery County over the next five years with salaries ranging from $83,000 to $196,000 annually, according to previous reports.
“It has been our privilege to operate in the United States for almost 20 years, working alongside the dedicated teams at our sites and within the local communities that have supported us throughout this journey. The Clarksville smelter and Tennessee mines have a proud heritage of producing high-quality zinc concentrate and metal, and we thank our people for their unwavering professionalism and commitment,” said Nyrstar CEO Guido Janssen in the release.
“Korea Zinc’s global leadership in smelting innovation gives us confidence that they will continue to strengthen the foundations established by Nyrstar in the State of Tennessee, creating ongoing growth and opportunities for all stakeholders.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Trafigura will continue to market and sell the Clarksville smelter’s total production of zinc metal and supply concentrate and oxide to the operation throughout 2026.
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