Nyrstar is the world's second-largest producer of zinc metal with more than 4000 employees across three continents and a global footprint across Europe, Australia and the United States.
The Nyrstar Port Pirie Smelter has a rich and dynamic history of over 130 years. Port Pirie is one of the key regional cities in South Australia, with the smelter being one of the major employers of the Upper Spencer Gulf region.
The first smelting operation commenced at Port Pirie in 1889 and a long history of smelting has followed. Over the 130 years of Nyrstar Port Pirie being in operation, the community and the Port Pirie smelter have come to be intrinsically linked. Nyrstar Port Pirie smelter remains an important source of employment for the city.
Nyrstar Port Pirie’s technology includes top submerged lance (TSL) furnace, blast furnace, lead refinery, slag fuming leach, electrowin copper, and solvent extraction/electrowin (SXEW). Final products include commodity-grade lead, copper cathode, silver dore and sulphuric acid.