Vietnam to retain titanium for domestic production from 2009

Tuesday, 11 Mar 2008

It is reported that Vietnam wants to retain titanium for domestic production and has added titanium ore to a list of raw materials it wants to retain for domestic production.

In a statement issued at the weekend, Mr Hoang Trung Hai deputy prime minister of Vietnam asked the industry & trade ministry to amend a circular so that titanium ore can be exported until the end of 2008 and from 2009 the mined product will serve domestic production.

A senior official at the Titanium Industry Council of China Nonferrous Metal Industry Association said that "It will have a big impact on the industry, since imported titanium ore counts for about one third of the consumption in China." He added that 90% of titanium in China is used for pigment production and 10% for titanium metal, used for high-strength, lightweight metal alloys.

Mr Nguyen Tan Dung Prime Minister of Vietnam said that of would invest VND 2 trillion until 2015 in exploration, tapping and building three mills for titanium sponge, purified ilmenite ore and white pigment.