KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Nyrstar, a company who owns several East Tennessee mines and a zinc smelter in Clarksville, plans to sell their mines and a smelter in Clarksville to Korea Zinc. The sale hasn’t been approved yet, but if it is, the South Korean company would take over facilities in East and Middle Tennessee.
Under the proposed sale, Korea Zinc would take over the Tennessee sites and develop and operate a new “state of the art” Clarksville complex. The existing complex is the only primary zinc smelter in the country, according to Nyrstar, and has been operating for almost 50 years.
“This transaction would enable a secure and stable US zinc and zinc by-products supply for the future,” said Nyrstar CEO Guido Janssen. “Korea Zinc is a world leader in smelting technology, and we are confident they will build on the strong foundations Nyrstar has laid in the State of Tennessee.”…