Mintal Group has signed an MoU for the construction of a ferrochrome and stainless steel plant in the Nghi Son Economic Zone of Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa province, with an investment of USD2bn. The project is being reviewed by local authorities. The first phase of the project includes a 1.5Mtpy ferrochrome plant, followed by a 1Mtpy stainless steel plant. Feed design for the ferrochrome smelter is 80% South African chromium ores blended with local Vietnamese ores to produce charge chrome.
The stated design of the Mintal plant in Vietnam has incorporated 20% of domestic Vietnam ores, with around 21Mt of Vietnam’s reserves concentrated in the Trieu Son district of Thanh Hoa province. Mintal’s first- and second-phase ferrochrome plants in Inner Mongolia were built to a design of 50% South African ores blended with 50% higher-grade Turkish ores, but on commissioning, the plant opted for 100% South African UG2 ores for its chromium units.
