'SAIL's titanium project depends on technology availability'

Over 19 months after the signing of an initial pact, fate of SAIL's titanium project in Kerala still hinges on the availability of suitable technology, Parliament was informed today.
"According to the Techno Economic Feasibility Report, the financial viability of the project depends upon the latest cost effective technology, which is still not available in India," Minister of State for Steel and Mines Vishnu Deo Sai said in Lok Sabha.
Replying to an unstarred question, Sai said: "Efforts to obtain transfer of technology from leading global supplies has not been very encouraging and further course of action is dependent on availability of titanium production technology."

Steel Authority of India had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) and Kerala Minerals and Metals (KMML) on behalf of the Kerala Government in April, 2013.
The MoU was aimed at jointly exploring possibilities of setting up a titanium sponge and metal complex in the state through a joint venture in a phased manner.
Subsequently, a joint committee of SAIL and Government of Kerala was constituted to carry out a feasibility study of the technical and financial viability of the project which was supposed to produce 10,000 tonnes titanium sponge per annum.
The committee completed the preliminary study based on a TEFR prepared by MEACON. That study found that financial viability of the project depends upon the availability of latest cost effective technology.