Finland’s Outotec has started work on the $433 contract it was awarded by the local Cristal Global for the construction of ilmenite smelting facilities at Jizan Economic City in the south of Saudi Arabia.

The company will provide basic engineering and detail engineering for the project as well as supply all of the technology and process equipment. Outotec will also construct and commission the plant.

Upon completion in 2014, the plant will have a capacity of 500,000 tonnes-a-year (t/y) of titanium dioxide slag as well as 235,000 t/y of high purity pig iron.

Ilmenite is an iron titanium oxide employed in the manufacture of titanium dioxide, which is used as a base pigment in paint, paper and plastics.