Cristal Global is embarking on a new project to bring equilibrium across the vertical industry value chain for its customers and partners. Outotec has been selected to build an AC Arc ilmenite smelting plant for Cristal Global in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The plant, estimated to become operational in Q4 2013, brings a new source of 85% TiO2 slag onto the market.
It will have an initial capacity of 500,000 t of TiO2 slag, with 235,000 t of high purity pig iron as valuable co-product. It will be a scalable facility – maximum production of 1 Mt of TiO2 slag is possible. The plant will be constructed on a turnkey basis and will require 800,000 t/y of ilmenite ore to produce 500,000 t of 85% TiO2 slag.
The smelter’s location brings significant cost savings and operational synergies, due to the logistics, cost savings, and abundant power capacity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Thomas VanValkenburgh, Vice President of Supply Chain at Cristal Global, commented: “Cristal Global is proud to bring its expertise, capital and strategic vision to this new project, poised to benefit the whole vertical industry value chain through additional TiO2 feedstock production capacity. We’ve made the decision to invest now to ensure that our customers, business partners and wider stakeholders have the security of stable supply of TiO2, which is vital for the future and growth of the whole industry.
We look forward to working with our partner, Outotec, on this project, as well as to more fruitful collaboration with our current mineral sands suppliers and our integrated upstream subsidiary BeMax. We believe this investment will create growth and opportunities across the vertical industry value chain.”
Cristal Global is a leading globally vertically integrated chemical and pigments company, primarily focused on the Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) technology. Cristal Global’s headquarters are located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with significant presence in North America, Latin America, Europe (UK, France, and Belgium), Australia and China. It is the second largest TiO2 producer in the world, a leading manufacturer of ultrafine Tio2 and the largest merchant supplier of titanium with global revenues surpassing $2.2 billion in 2010.