Chinese tungsten producer Ganzhou Haisheng is on track to build a new plant in Thailand after receiving approval from the local government earlier this month.
The project, with a total investment of 180mn yuan ($25mn), is designed to have production capacity of 3,000 t/yr for ammonium paratungstate (APT), 2,000 t/yr for tungsten powder, 1,200 t/yr for tungsten carbide, 400 t/yr for tungsten bar and 300 t/yr for cemented carbide.
Haisheng has not confirmed when the project will be completed and put into production. The firm currently has production lines from ores to downstream products including powder, metal and wires in China.
More Chinese tungsten producers that have sizeable export businesses are likely to develop projects outside China in the future. Trade conflicts between China and the US may hit Chinese tungsten exports in the longer term, especially after the US imposed a 25pc tariff on Chinese tungsten from 27 September.
Chinese exports of tungsten products totalled 11,718t of tungsten metal equivalent in January-August, down by 12pc on the year, customs data show.
