[www.ferro-alloys.com]Emerging vanadium and titanium company TNG (ASX: TNG) will work with US-based TiPMC Solutions to build a presence in the global titanium dioxide (TiO2) supply chain to complement its planned vanadium sales into Asia.

TNG said this week it had signed a long-term strategic agreement with the mineral sands consulting firm to “progress the marketing and offtake strategies” for titanium products from its proposed billion-dollar Mount Peake vanadium-titanium-iron project in Australia’s Northern Territory.

TNG’s 2015 definitive feasibility study (DFS) for Mount Peake highlighted strong potential investment returns (and a four-year capital payback) from average annual production of 17,560 tonnes per annum of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), 236,000tpa TiO2 (pigment), and 637,000tpa of pig iron over an estimated 17-year initial mine life.

Since completing the DFS, TNG has signed binding off-take agreements for 60% of its projected vanadium output with a major Korean group and for its iron products with Singapore-based Gunvor. The company is having ongoing discussions with “major groups” to secure a project financing package for Mount Peake.

TNG managing director Paul Burton said with binding offtake agreements in place for Mount Peake vanadium and iron, “we are have been working to step-up our efforts in respect to our third valuable product stream, titanium dioxide”.

“And we are doing so in a considerably more favourable environment, with clear signs of a recovery in this important industry sector since the beginning of the year. We look forward to working closely with TiPMC to optimise our marketing strategy and secure suitable off-take arrangements to underpin this aspect of our project.”

TiPMC says the TiO2 pigment industry experienced its strongest uptick in price and overall health since 2012 in the first half of this year, which it put down to: 

• Improving architectural coatings markets in North America, where the American Coatings Institute has recently forecast growth in the 5% range.

• Pigment growth in India with consumption on track to exceed 250,000t, representing nearly 10% growth in a very fast growing market.

• Strengthening economies in ASEAN, in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

• Increasing demand in Northern and Eastern Europe, particularly Germany.

• Strengthening master-batch markets, particularly in Germany and Benelux.

TiPMC estimates that growth outside China may exceed 4% in 2016, a sharp increase over previous years. Prices, as indexed to the end of 2015, are trending upward.

Article from Internet for reference only

• [Editor:Jiang Li Juan ]