Kenmare says may further expand Mozambique mine
www.cnchemicals.com Time:2013-05-03 Sources of information:Reuters
Irish miner Kenmare Resources is conducting a study to expand its heavy sands mine in Mozambique, a senior official said on Wednesday, adding that investment in new electricity supply would be needed if the project goes ahead.
Kenmare's current expansion of the Moma mine, which will lead to an annual production of 1.2 million tonnes of ilmenite, 75,000 tonnes of zircon and 21,000 tonnes of rutile, will be completed in the last quarter of this year, but given high prices and strained supply, there is scope for more.
Ilmenite and rutile are sources of titanium dioxide, a white pigment used in paints, textiles and plastics. Zircon is used in ceramics like dinnerware, kitchen tiles and bathroom products.
"By the end of this year we plan to have it completed," Gareth Clifton, the company's manager for Mozambique, told Reuters about the feasibility stability on the sidelines of a mining and energy conference in Maputo.
Mozambique is under pressure to build new power plants fast given a surge of new mining and other industrial projects.
"There is a shortage of supply at the moment and prices are good," Clifton said.
The price of ilmenite surged from around $100 per tonne to $300-$400 per tonne during 2011, Clifton said. Rutile prices doubled from $1,000 per tonne, while the price of zircon jumped from $1,000 per tonne to $2,400 per tonne.
"We expect that growth rate to be maintained. In the short term we don't expect any new entrants into the market."
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