IperionX Limited has secured the necessary permits to start the construction and operations at its planned titanium metal production facility in Virginia, United States.
The permits include the Halifax County Service Authority’s Industrial Wastewater Discharge permit and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s New Source Review (air pollution) permit. These licences allow the Titanium Commercial Facility (TCF-1) capacity of 1,125 tpa of titanium metal to be scaled up within the current 50,000-square-foot shell building in Halifax County, Virginia.
All significant engineering work for the planned Stage 1 Titanium Demonstration Facility (TDF) is now complete, with critical long-lead-time equipment ordered and procurement underway. The first titanium production is scheduled for Q1 2024, with IperionX aiming to attain a run-rate of 125 tpa of titanium metal by Q3 2024. A modular Stage 2 extension to the TCF-1 level is proposed, increasing titanium production capacity to 1,125 tpa by the end of 2025. The TDF’s development is still subject to Board approval for a final investment decision.
The TDF and TCF-1 are based on a scaled-up version of IperionX’s existing Industrial Pilot Facility in Salt Lake City, which has been operational since January 2022. The company has updated this plant and optimised operating procedures to significantly boost titanium production capacity while improving efficiency and consistency.
“Securing all major permits is an important milestone in developing the world’s largest 100% recycled titanium plant and is a credit to the successful work of the IperionX development team, Halifax County, Virginia and regulatory agencies,” IperionX CEO Anastasios (Taso) Arima said.
IperionX now plans to construct the world’s largest recycled titanium metal powder production facility, as well as the only titanium plant that will employ 100% titanium scrap metal as feedstock. The titanium production facility in Virginia is designed to create UL-approved 100% recycled titanium metal powder with the lowest carbon intensity on the market while emitting zero Scope 1 & 2 emissions.
“IperionX is uniquely positioned to re-shore titanium metal production to the U.S.A., reducing the acute reliance on titanium imports from foreign nations and lowering the significant environmental impacts from producing titanium metal using the existing ‘Kroll Process’ — which is energy intensive, high cost and generates excessive greenhouse gas emissions,” Arima stated.
The Halifax County Development Authority will invest up to $4 million in building fit-out to prepare for process equipment installation in late 2024.
“IperionX has a pipeline of potential U.S. government funding programs and incentives that are designed to support domestic efforts to re-shore critical mineral and material supply chains. With the successful development of this project, IperionX will be the only commercial primary titanium metal producer in the U.S., with the capacity to deliver low carbon and low-cost titanium for advanced American industries,” Arima added.
In a Techno-Economic Assessment issued in April of this year, IperionX already confirmed solid predicted economics for the TDF and TCF-1. Based on key operational assumptions, the TCF-1 operation is expected to generate US$100 million in EBITDA in 2026 with moderate capital intensity.
