Name of the Project
Titanium beneficiation complex.

Location
The Richards Bay industrial development zone, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The KwaZulu-Natal government has allocated 65 ha for the plant.

Project Owner/s
Titanium dioxide pigment manufacturer Nyanza Light Metals, in partnership with the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ).

Project Description
The project entails the construction of a titanium beneficiation facility for the manufacturing of titanium pigment, as well as a sulphuric acid plant, gas boilers, wastewater infrastructure, a 12 MW solar power plant and cogeneration power to manage the project’s energy security.

The project will be built in phases.

Phase 1 involves the construction of a technical services centre, which will house a semiproduction plant. The plant will be able to handle 700 t/y of titanium dioxide pigment and will operate for a year to allow for the completion of the preconstruction engineering for the main commercial plant.

Phase 2 entails the construction of the main plant.

The plant will use 320 000 t/y of sulphuric acid, 36 000 t/y of ammonium sulphate, 380 000 t/y of lime and 250 000 t/y of feed material to produce the titanium dioxide.

The project will produce about 80 000 t/y of titanium dioxide pigment at peak production, which it will sell locally and export to the rest of Africa and the Middle East.

Potential Job Creation
When construction starts the project will create more than 2 000 jobs. A further 850 permanent jobs will be created once the project is operational.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
When the project started in 2011, it was estimated at R4.5-billion for the titanium plant, without infrastructure and utilities.

As at June 2023, Nyanza is looking at financial close for engineering, procurement and construction, and production costs of about $500-million (R9-billion).  

There are still financing costs that the company will incur. There is interest during construction and working capital, so peak funding is close to $750-million (R14-billion).

R200-milion has been spent on a product testing and development centre.

Planned Start/End Date
Production from the main plant is set to ramp up from early 2025.

Latest Developments
Nyanza has more than 75%, or about 60 000 t, of its 80 000 t signed up, of which 85% comprises large international paint producers.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Grinaker-LTA (Phase 1 contract); and Intertek (quality control and assurance partner) and East China Engineering Science and Technology (engineering, procurement and construction).

Contact Details for Project Information
Nyanza Light Metals, tel +27 11 684 1286 or email info@nyanzametals.com.