Ukraine intends to become the leader of the global titanium industry by 2030
Under the chairmanship of Vice Prime Minister - Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleg Urusky, a meeting on the topic "Ukraine 2030 - the new titanium leader of the global industry" was held in the Government House on September 28, 2020.
The event was attended by deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, heads of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance, the State Property Fund, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, foreign diplomats, heads of unions and associations, state and private profile companies, experts in the titanium industry.
“I am convinced that if aluminum is the metal of the 20th century, then titanium should become the metal of the 21st century. Now there is a tendency to expand the scope of titanium products, which is used in various modifications and types in a wide variety of products, "Urusky stressed.
He also noted that Ukraine has significant titanium deposits. According to some estimates, up to 900 million tons of various ores. That is why it is necessary to raise the question of improving the quality of their processing and creating added value.
“I believe that we need to work on creating a closed cycle in the titanium industry: from the extraction of raw materials to the production of finished products from the metal itself. We have all the potential for this, ”Urusky is convinced.
According to him, this will not be an easy path, which will require investment and financial assistance, primarily from Western partners.
According to the Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries Vitaly Nemelostivy, the titanium mining industry can become "one of the engines of economic and industrial development." He emphasized that if there is government support and the industry develops, this will stimulate investments by partners in the USA, UK, Canada, France and other countries.
During the meeting, the co-founder of the Ukrainian Institute of the Future Anatoly Amelin presented a developed project for the development of the titanium industry in Ukraine until 2030, where he demonstrated three possible scenarios for the development of events in the industry.
Also within the framework of the event, it was stated that despite the fact that about one million tons of titanium-containing concentrates are produced annually in the country, the bulk of them are not processed, but are exported as raw materials. In general, products are intensively supplied to the countries of Europe, Asia and North America.
The export orientation of the industry, in particular the supply of concentrate and semi-finished products, as well as products with low added value, is due to the fact that Ukraine does not have sufficient processing capacities in titanium production. The latter should become an important factor in the development of the industry.
According to the Ukrainian government, the situation needs to be changed. The development of the industry will be facilitated by: systemic support from the state, creating favorable conditions for doing business, attracting domestic and foreign investors, borrowing modern technologies and increasing the production of titanium products with high added value.