Name of the Project
Titanium beneficiation project.

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.

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
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
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
East China Engineering Science and Technology has formalised an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract and an operations and maintenance (OM) contract with Nyanza Light Metals.

The finalisation of the agreements marks another critical milestone for Nyanza as it works towards achieving financial close and construction.

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

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