The Skorpion Zinc Mine and Refinery is a green field development. Skorpion Zinc has progressed from exploration though various project development stages to become a full-scale mining and refining operation. Although the Skorpion Zinc ore body was first discovered in the seventies, the deposit was not mined at that time as there were metallurgical problems associated with the treatment of the unconventional ore, and the ore body itself was considered too small to be economic in markets prevailing at the time. Reunion Mining Plc entered into an agreement with the Anglo American Corporation in 1997, in terms of which they could earn a percentage interest in the deposit for conducting further drilling, geological work and producing a "bankable" study to develop a mine by September 2000. Reunion did this work, solved the metallurgical problems, piloted the process and produced the bankable study by the end of 1998.

The ore body delineated by Reunion Mining drilling comprised 19,5 million tonnes of ore at an average zinc grade of 10,1%. In 1999 the offshore arm of Anglo American, Minorco, purchased the entire shareholding of Reunion Mining plc to obtain 100% Anglo ownership of the Skorpion deposit. In the same year Anglo merged with Minorco and the resulting company was listed in London as Anglo American plc. Anglo American Plc (AA plc) then bought Reunion Mining's interest in the ore body and, following additional drilling and bulk sampling for a pilot plant, the go-ahead for the project was approved by the board of AA plc in September 2000 at a capital cost of US$454 million. Construction of the world class Skorpion Zinc mine and refinery commenced in January 2001.