[Reportage] US looks to Korean experience to ease its critical mineral reliance on China

At a location about 80 kilometers northwest of Nashville, Tennessee, lies the Cumberland River, known for its year-round flow. The region hosts the sole zinc smelter in the US, fueled by affordable industrial power and ample water resources. On August 6, the smelter underwent a name change and is now called Crucible Zinc, owned by Korean company Korea Zinc through a partnership with the US government.

Founded in 1978, the plant has been operational 24/7 for over four decades, with only a yearly maintenance break. Managed by 300 workers in three shifts, the smelter processes about 600 tons of zinc concentrate daily, sourced from nearby mines and imports.

The existing facility, spanning around 660,000 square meters, will be integrated with a new plant of similar size, covering approximately 1.49 million square meters combined. The construction is expected to begin later this year, with full-scale operations slated to commence in 2029, bringing the entire complex online by 2030. Beneath the smelter's settling ponds, a treasure trove of critical minerals lies dormant, including iron, zinc, lead, germanium, gallium, silver, and copper, estimated to be worth billions of dollars.

Currently, the ponds hold tailings from decades of smelting, but the new Korean owner plans to use advanced technology to recycle these materials and extract valuable metals like germanium, gallium, and silver.

Silver reserves amount to about 800 tons, with an estimated silver content of 2%, containing roughly 16 tons of silver worth billions of won. The extracted silver will be sent to Korea for processing. Crucible Zinc aims to become self-sufficient in zinc supply, with the new smelter meeting the entire US demand for germanium and gallium, which are vital for defense, semiconductors, and advanced industries.