CHAMWE KAIRA
Vedanta Zinc International (VZI) says the reopening of the Skorpion Zinc Mine remains dependent on securing an affordable long-term electricity supply, with the mine continuing to operate under care and maintenance from 2020.
The company said it was advancing technical, commercial and infrastructure initiatives required to support a sustainable restart, but that affordable long-term power remained the key condition for making a restart decision.
“Skorpion Zinc remains on care and maintenance while VZI continues to advance technical, commercial and infrastructure initiatives required for a sustainable restart,” the company said in response to questions from Observer Money.
The Skorpion Zinc Mine is a major open-pit zinc mine and hydrometallurgical refinery located 25 km north of Rosh Pinah in the //Karas Region.
VZI said its immediate priority was to secure a long-term affordable power solution, adding that several options existed for sustaining the future growth of the operation, depending on electricity availability.
The company, however, declined to provide details on potential expansion plans, saying it was too early to determine whether zinc material would continue to be shipped from South Africa for refining once Skorpion resumes operations.
VZI said the future operating model would be determined once a long-term power solution and supporting infrastructure were in place.
The Skorpion Zinc refinery has a nameplate production capacity of approximately 150 000 tonnes of Special High Grade (SHG) zinc annually.
The company’s comments come as its parent business advances a major expansion of its Gamsberg zinc mine in South Africa, where President Cyril Ramaphosa officially opened the R10 billion Phase II expansion on 16 October.
Completed in July 2026, the expansion adds a second concentrator and increases Gamsberg’s annual zinc production capacity to approximately 500 000 tonnes, roughly doubling the mine’s output.
The project employed more than 1 500 people at the peak of construction and is expected to create between 800 and 1 000 operational jobs.
Vedanta said it had invested R89 billion in its South African operations and projects since 2011. The Gamsberg expansion forms part of a R21 billion investment commitment made at the 2018 South Africa Investment Conference.
The company is also planning a zinc smelter at the Namakwa Special Economic Zone, where it intends to refine concentrate into zinc metal closer to the mine and support downstream industries, including fertiliser and chemicals.
The expansion forms part of VZI’s ambition to produce one million tonnes of zinc annually across its Southern African operations.
In Namibia, VZI said it remained committed to growing its business and developing opportunities around Skorpion Zinc.
The company disclosed that it had invested more than N$75 million in community development initiatives in Namibia since 2011, covering education, healthcare, infrastructure and social programmes.
Despite Skorpion entering care and maintenance in 2020, VZI said it continued to spend approximately N$2 million annually on community initiatives.
These include educational assistance and providing free housing and municipal services to teachers in Rosh Pinah.
VZI said its focus remained on safe operations, responsible investment, community development and long-term value creation for Namibia.
