Bhubaneswar, Jan. 16: National Aluminium Company (Nalco) has signed an MoU with Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL), a PSU under the department of atomic energy, for making value-added products from beach sand minerals that would be subsequently used for making titanium and associated products. The project at an estimated cost of Rs 400 crore, will be set up at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district.

The MoU was signed by the chief managing director of Nalco, A.K. Srivastava and chief managing director of IREL, R.N. Patra, in the presence of directors and senior officers , at Nalco corporate office. Titanium is a key material used in space, aviation, nuclear, automobile, and paint industries.

There being no production in the country, the need is met by imports. Beach sand (that contains monazite and ilmenite), the basic raw material for production of titanium, is available in large quantities with IREL and is exported without value-addition.