The owners of Skorpion Zinc Mine say a refinery plant to be constructed near Rosh Pinah in the ||Kharas Region will create 2 000 jobs. Vedanta Zinc International (VZI) said in a statement that it will invest N$6.5 billion in the construction of the Namzinc Refinery Conversion Project (NRCP). The company says once completed, the refinery plant would process zinc concentrate from Gamsberg, South Africa, and Namibia, making Namibia a net exporter of refined zinc metal. VZI says that it is ready to start construction of the refinery as soon it secures the supply of affordable electricity, for the construction phase of the project. The mining giant says significant work has been put into the refinery conversion project, including the finalisation of the bankable feasibility study. The project is set to restart operations at Skorpion Zinc Mine, which was placed under care and maintenance during May last year. The move was taken due to unforeseen geotechnical instabilities in the open pit, which resulted in the stoppage of the mine's operation, and loss of work for 1 500 former employees.