Australia's Nyrstar Looks to Upgrade Port Pirie Smelter on Southern Coast

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia)--Nyrstar Australia Pty Limited (Port Pirie, South Australia) is awaiting final South Australian government approval for its US$328 million (AUD$350 million) Port Pirie Smelter upgrade project. The state government has told Nyrstar that it would announce the decision no later than May 16.

The Port Pirie Smelter is located 142 miles (230 kilometers) northwest of Adelaide, on the upper Spencer Gulf of South Australia. The smelter has been operational since 1889, with 858 employees, including 133 contractors. It smelts and refines nonferrous metals, except for aluminum and copper. The smelter no longer can meet modern operational standards and increasingly stringent environmental standards. To improve efficiency and reduce its environmental footprint, Nyrstar is working with WorleyParsons Limited (ASX:WOR) (Adelaide) on the new facility design. The new facility is expected to extend the smelter operation life by more than 30 years.

The upgrade is expected to transform the current Port Pirie Smelter from a primary lead smelter into a highly flexible poly-metallic processing and recovery facility. The project would allow the smelter to be more economically viable and meet environmental standards. The project includes construction of a new bath smelting furnace to replace the existing sinter plant; an oxygen plant facility; a 1,000-ton-per-day modular sulphuric acid plant; an electricity cogeneration facility; an upgrade of the water intake cooling system; and an expanded cooling water discharge system. The existing sinter plant, blast furnace, acid plant and associated infrastructure will be permanently decommissioned and/or demolished.

The upgrade project would employ 400 people during the two-year construction period. The smelter indirectly supports employment of more than 2,500 people in the region.

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