Resumen de Supply Situation Report: Light at the end of the tunnel for TiO2 feedstocks
"The situation at RTIT plants all over the world will be reassessed on a regular basis taking into account market conditions," Rio Tinto told IM, adding that it is "beginning to see improvement in zircon demand, particularly in Asia".
The group is looking to expand and plans to invest around $2.5bn by 2017. Much of this will be in a new 120,000 tpa sulphate-route TiO 2 pigment plant, but Group DF also plans to construct a titanium slag plant, with the capacity of 150,000 tpa, and a titanium sponge plant, with the capacity of 40,000 tpa.
The current capacity at the TiZir's Tyssedal slag plant is 200,000 tpa titanium slag and 110,000 tpa high-purity pig iron, but it will be upgrading its nameplate capacity to 220,000 tpa by 2014 and 400,000+ tpa by 2016. To do so it would have to reduce actual production in the short run to 140,000-150,000 tonnes in 2014, but increase to 200,000-220,000 tonnes again in 2015, reaching full capacity in 2016.
