Ferrex could be producing high carbon ferro-manganese in Togo by 2017 and expects to achieve a better return on the alloy than on manganese ore, ceo Dave Reeves told releated media.
The company, which owns the Nayega manganese ore deposit in Togo, West Africa, is planning to a build a 60,000-tpy ferro-manganese blast furnace, yielding 74% Mn material. "We should complete bankable studies by late 2015 or early 2016 and then we would go on to development, with production probably starting a year after that," Reeves said. "It's early days, but the initial study has been very positive and we'd be a lowest-quartile [costs] producer," Reeves added. Ferrex believes weak manganese ore prices and high shipping costs mean simply shipping ore to China has become a less attractive option. "The manganese ore market at the moment is horrible and margins would be skinnier.
 

• [Editor:Sophie]