Name of the Project
Titanium beneficiation project.

Location
At 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.

The plant will produce titanium dioxide pigment from titaniferous slag and acid from Evraz Highveld Steel and Vanadium, in addition to conventional ilmenite and rutile.

Construction will entail two phases.

Phase 1 involves the construction of a technical services centre, which will house a semiproduction plant. The plant 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
Nyanza will create 1 200 jobs during the construction phase and 550 direct permanent jobs once the plant is fully commissioned.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
The project involves an investment of R4.5-billion.

The technical services centre is estimated at R200-million.

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

Latest Developments
Infrastructure solutions provider the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has become a codeveloper and early-stage investor in titanium dioxide pigment manufacturer Nyanza Light Metals’ titanium dioxide pigment plant project.

The AFC is making an initial $3-million investment, which will go towards the completion of the project development activities that will take the project to financial close in the first half of 2023.

The AFC is also a co-mandated lead arranger, along with the African Export-Import Bank, which has co-funded the project.

In March, Nyanza completed the construction of the first phase of the project, located in the RBIDZ. This culminated in the commissioning of the product testing and development centre with a capacity of handling 700 t/y of titanium dioxide pigment.

Nyanza has reported that the project has received strong support from the South African government through its Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, which, since 2020, has co-funded the feasibility studies with the sponsors – Arkein Capital Partners and DBF Capital Partners. Athari Capital Partners also acted as the lead transaction adviser to Nyanza.

Nyanza CEO Donovan Chimhandamba has said that the AFC’s commitment to the project is a milestone that supports Nyanza’s commitment to developing impactful mineral beneficiation and diversified chemicals manufacturing plants in Africa.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Grinaker-LTA (Phase 1 contract); and Intertek (quality control and assurance partner).

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