Korea Zinc’s Tennessee Smelter Project Added to U.S. FAST-41 Permitting Track

Korea Zinc Chairman Choi Yun-beom tours the company’s U.S. smelter site on April 2. [Photo=Korea Zinc]

Korea Zinc’s integrated smelter project in Tennessee, dubbed “Project Crucible,” has been added to the U.S. federal government’s fast-track permitting program.

Korea Zinc said April 27 that Project Crucible was designated for FAST-41 (Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act), a federal program that speeds reviews for major infrastructure and resource projects.

FAST-41 streamlines permitting by coordinating reviews that would otherwise be handled separately by multiple agencies, cutting timelines and providing administrative support. The designation follows a memorandum of understanding signed in February by the U.S. Interior Department and the Tennessee state government to simplify permitting procedures, the company said.

The federal government coordinates and manages permitting schedules for FAST-41 projects to reduce timeline and cost risks. The U.S. Permitting Council says FAST-41 projects, on average, receive a final Record of Decision about 18 months faster than projects not in the program. Korea Zinc said the federal-state MOU will allow related procedures to move forward in parallel, further accelerating the project.

Korea Zinc said the designation is significant because Project Crucible is being treated as part of the United States’ national security strategy. The company said the only other FAST-41 projects tied to critical minerals are South32’s Hermosa zinc and manganese development project in Arizona and Resolution Minerals’ Antimony Ridge exploration and development project in Alaska.

Korea Zinc said Project Crucible is the first FAST-41 project led by a South Korean company and is expected to strengthen U.S.-South Korea economic security cooperation over the long term through critical minerals supply chains.

Chairman Choi Yun-beom said the FAST-41 designation “will be an important milestone” in building a safe and resilient critical minerals supply chain. He said the company will continue close consultations with the U.S. federal government, Tennessee and other stakeholders to ensure the project’s success.

Choi said the company will carry out its roadmap “without disruption,” with construction planned for 2027 and completion in 2029, to build a world-class critical minerals processing facility.

Project Crucible calls for a total investment of $7.4 billion (about 11 trillion won) through 2029 to build an integrated smelter capable of processing about 1.1 million tons of feedstock annually. Once completed, the facility is expected to produce 13 nonferrous metals and semiconductor-grade sulfuric acid, including 11 types of critical minerals such as zinc, lead, germanium and gallium.

* This article has been translated by AI.

Lee nakyeong