The CIS Ferro-Alloys Markets Conference organised by Metal-Expert took place on Monday, September 14 in Tbilisi, Georgia.
IMnI Market Research Manager Aloys d’Harambure presented an Overview of the Manganese Industry, with a special focus on the CIS. He also moderated the manganese session and animated the panel discussion about Iran and the CIS in front of some 80 delegates, mostly from Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Iran, and some European countries.
After the conference, a field trip to Rusmetali SiMn plant (owned by Georgian Alloys Group) was organised. The plant is located around 30km from Tbilisi. It started production in 2006; its design capacity is 12,000 mt per year of SiMn (or 18,000 mtpy of HC FeMn), and operates two electric arc furnaces. At the moment, the plant is producing SiMn at almost full capacity, and sells mostly to Russia. It uses domestic Mn ore (with high phosphorous content) and South African Mn ore (with lower phosphorous content). The company has plans to commission two new electric arc furnaces at the same plant by the end of 2015, in order to double its production capacity of SiMn in 2016.
Rusmetali expects a rise in SiMn demand from Russia ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Soccer Cup.