Korea Zinc announced on June 5 that its Australian subsidiary Ark Energy has secured grid connection approval for the Richmond Valley solar and ESS project. The Richmond Valley project involves building a 2,200 MWh ESS and a 200 MW solar power plant in the Richmond Valley region of New South Wales, Australia.

Korea Zinc announced on May 6 that its consolidated operating profit for the first quarter was preliminarily estimated at KRW 746.1 billion, up 175.2% from a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter rose 58.4% year on year to KRW 6.072 trillion, while net profit increased 117.9% to KRW 354.0 billion.

South Korea’s Korea Zinc plans to invest $6.6 billion to develop a major critical minerals smelter and U.S. headquarters in Tennessee, marking the state’s largest-ever private investment. The project will span Clarksville and Gordonsville, including a new manufacturing facility and the reopening of a former mine. The integrated smelter will produce 13 nonferrous metals such as zinc, copper, and lead, supporting key industries including defense, aerospace, and automotive. The project is expected to create over 740 jobs and reduce U.S. reliance on China for critical minerals. Developed in partnership with the U.S. government, which may take a 40% stake, construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with site preparation starting in 2026.

On April 2, Nyrstar announced that the sale of its US assets to Korea Zinc was completed on April 1. The assets involved included the East Tennessee and Mid Tennessee mining complexes as well as the Clarksville smelter. The transaction, first announced in December 2025, had received all necessary regulatory and government approvals. Assets and employees were transferred to Korea Zinc under existing terms, ensuring a seamless transition in operations, safety standards, and production. 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.

Korea Zinc is in talks with major U.S. technology companies to recover valuable metals from data-center electronic waste. The initiative aims to extract multiple metals including copper and other strategic materials. Analysts say the project reflects the growing importance of electronic waste recycling in global metal supply chains.

[Frequent Supply Disruptions; Imported TCs Continued to Decline]: Weekly data showed that the average weekly TC for SMM Zn50 domestic remained flat at 1,550 yuan/mt in metal content, while the SMM Imported Zinc Concentrate Index fell by $8.37/dmt MoM to $15.38/dmt...

[Overseas Lead Smelter Dynamics] According to the Q4 2025 financial report released on Korea Zinc's official website, the company's full-year lead ingot sales in 2025 totaled 404,200 mt, down 9.29% YoY, falling short of the annual target of 450,000 mt with a 90% completion rate. The planned lead volume for 2026 is 430,000 mt.

[KZ Releases Q4 Report] On February 10, Korea Zinc released its Q4 2025 report. The report shows that the company's zinc ingot sales volume reached 590,700 mt in 2025, with an annual production plan completion rate of 94%, down 8% YoY. The target for 2026 is set at 600,000 mt.

In 2025, the zinc industry embraced a new phase of comprehensive development. Domestically, resource security continued to strengthen, smelting technology achieved breakthroughs and upgrades, and policies precisely supported green transformation and stable growth. Overseas, ore supply steadily increased, supply chain structures underwent profound adjustments, and global market inventory and trade systems were simultaneously optimized. The domestic and overseas industry chains worked in synergy, driving mutual progress. The industry as a whole demonstrated a new development pattern characterized by quality improvement in the resource sector, upgrades in the smelting sector, policy support, and revitalization in the market sector.

[2025 Zinc Industry Chronicle: Strengthening Foundations at Home and Abroad, Zinc Ushers in a New Phase] In 2025, the zinc industry embraced a new trend of comprehensive development. Domestically, resource security continued to be strengthened, smelting technology achieved breakthroughs and upgrades, and policies precisely enabled green transformation and stable growth. Overseas, mineral energy was steadily released, and the supply chain landscape underwent deep adjustments. Global market inventory and trade systems were simultaneously optimized. The domestic and overseas industry chains exerted efforts in both directions and advanced collaboratively, presenting an entirely new development pattern for the industry as a whole—characterized by quality improvement on the resource side, upgrades on the smelting side, policy support, and revitalization on the market side.