Outotec has agreed with Cristal Global, a major titanium dioxide pigment producer, on the design and delivery of technology and services for new ilmenite smelting facilities. The project will be located in Jazan Economic City, Saudi Arabia; the contract includes installation and construction of the plant on a turnkey basis.

The overall contract value exceeds EUR 350 million, which will be booked in Outotec's second quarter order intake with the revenues recognized gradually over three years. Cristal Global has ilmenite mines in Australia and pigment plants in the USA, Europe and Saudi Arabia. In this new mega size ilmenite smelter, Outotec's ferroalloy smelting technology is applied for processing the ilmenite to titanium dioxide slag.

The plant's initial annual capacity will be 500,000tns of titanium dioxide slag, and its design enables expansion to one million tns. In addition, the plant will produce 235,000tns of high purity pig iron as valuable co-product.

Outotec's scope of delivery includes basic and detail engineering, process technology, supply of all equipment, site preparation and civil works, equipment installation, construction and commissioning of the ilmenite smelting plant on a pure turnkey basis.

The new plant is scheduled to be operational in 2014, after which Outotec will provide operate and maintenance services for the first two years with an option to continue.