Fears for high-energy industry as zinc factory winds down

Zinc manufacturer Nystar has suspended production at its factory in Noord-Brabant as a combination of low zinc prices and a lack of government compensation for the energy-intensive sector in general threatens competitiveness. Under a European scheme, European governments are allowed to support energy-intensive companies temporarily. Nystar’s subsidiary in Belgium, for example, is getting some €40 million in indirect compensation. The factory in Budel, which uses the same amount of energy in a year as the city of Eindhoven, or 1%...