en.Wedoany.com Reported - The first phase of South Africa's Nyanza Light Metals plant has commenced construction in the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) in KwaZulu-Natal Province. The plant aims to process ilmenite into titanium dioxide (TiO₂) pigment, enhancing the value chain of the resource.
Nyanza CEO Donovan Chimhandamba confirmed this progress to Mining Weekly at the African Coatings Exhibition held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday, June 25. Foundation piling work is underway, with the target start date for titanium dioxide (TiO₂) production set for the end of 2029.
The plant will process ilmenite obtained from heavy mineral sand mining to produce titanium dioxide (TiO₂) pigment for industrial coatings, architectural paints, paper, and plastics, at prices significantly higher than the raw ilmenite feedstock. The overall design also includes a multi-stage industrial platform that connects titanium beneficiation with downstream battery material production.
Nyanza has signed an engineering, procurement, construction, and operations management contract with East China Engineering Science and Technology Company, a subsidiary of China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation, and secured offtake agreements are in place.
The $870 million Phase I TiO₂ project is financed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), and pan-African and local development finance institutions. Phase I construction is expected to employ approximately 3,000 people at its peak and create 850 permanent jobs.
Phase II is planned as part of a $750 million downstream expansion involving battery materials and advanced chemicals production. Fully integrated with Phase I, it will utilize process by-products and plans to produce lithium iron phosphate, zirconium oxychloride, and fumed silica, designed as a closed-loop, high-value industrial materials platform. Phase II has entered the bankable feasibility study stage, expected to be completed in 2028, and will proceed with the same engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, anticipated to generate 2,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent positions.
Project development and financing are led by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) as co-mandated lead arrangers. The project is co-developed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), and South Africa's state-owned Industrial Development Corporation, with support from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ). Nyanza describes the integration of mineral beneficiation with battery material production as positioning South Africa within the global energy transition, artificial intelligence computing, and advanced manufacturing value chains, with a vision to connect titanium resources with downstream applications in energy storage, electric mobility, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, and computing supply chains.
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