100% Nyrstar
Zinc Smelting and Alloying Operation
The Balen smelter is located in the north-east of Belgium, and is a large-scale smelter with a capacity of 270,000 tonnes of zinc per year. The Overpelt plant is only 18 km from Balen, consisting of one of Europe’s largest oxide washing facilities, as well as significant alloying and casting facility. The oxide washing plant is capable of processing approximately 95,000 tonnes of secondary zinc oxides for supply as feedstock to Nyrstar’s European smelters, with oxides predominantly arising from Waelz kilns in France and Germany. The alloying and casting plant has the capacity to produce approximately 200,000 tonnes of high-margin alloys, utilizing cathodes predominantly from the Balen smelter.
Balen and Overpelt’s primary products include SHG zinc, zinc galvanizing alloys and zinc die-casting alloys. Balen sources its concentrates from a variety of global suppliers, typically on annual benchmark terms. Approximately 20% of Balen’s feed consists of recycled secondary zinc oxides, providing raw material flexibility to the site. Process improvements in 2006 allowed Balen to increase its zinc recovery in 2007 to 96.2%.
