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
Construction on the project started on May 6, 2021.

Latest Developments
Pan-African multilateral trade finance institution the Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has approved a R28-million project preparation facility for Nyanza Light Metals.

Afreximbank has also been appointed the mandated lead arranger to arrange the R4.5-billion needed for the construction of Nyanza's operations at the RBIDZ.

Afreximbank project preparation head Zitto Alfayo made the announcement during the start of construction on May 6.

The R28-million facility is meant to fast-track the detailed engineering work that Nyanza will complete for Phase 1 over the next ten months and to prepare the project for the construction of phases 2 and 3, which is estimated to equate the total R4.5-billion investment value, according to Alfayo.

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

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