Zinc is the fourth most mined mineral resource in the world. Zinc is mainly used for galvanising – cars, construction, appliances and electronics. Therefore as a base metal it is a strong indicator of economic growth. As the world economy grows and an ever increasing middle-class, so does the demand for zinc. As both population and income grows in the emerging economies the long term fundamentals for zinc remain good.

However, poor economic returns in the 1980’s and 1990’s resulted in very little exploration over the past 30 years as a result mines are running out with the expectation that 1 million tonnes of supply per annum will be lost from the middle of the decade. Therefore increasing demand and an expected fall off in zinc supply will keep prices firm in the medium to long term.

Irish zinc has always been much sought after with two of the world’s largest zinc mines, Tara and Lisheen operating in the country. Both the grade and quality of Irish zinc is extremely high in comparison too many other zinc prospective areas.