There is no reason that the U.S. cannot source titanium minerals from Tennessee and elsewhere in America.
Anastasios Arima| Guest Columnist
- Anastasios Arima is managing director and co-founder of Hyperion Metals Ltd., which controls the Titan Project in Tennessee.
Scarce natural resources are frequently withheld as political leverage during international conflicts. Titanium, a metal vital to building fighter jets, satellites, and missiles, is high on the list of strategically important assets.
If titanium supplies dwindle, the national security of the U.S. is at risk. Tennessee holds the key to preserving America’s titanium supply.
China is the global leader in the production of titanium metal. Japan is the world’s second-biggest producer and Russia is No. 3.
Having the bulk of the world’s titanium metal production in the hands of the U.S.’s top international economic and security rivals is clearly a problem.
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Titanium is a vital commodity for U.S.
The U.S. lost its last remaining producer of titanium metal last October when Titanium Metals Corp. closed its Henderson, Nevada, plant due to competition from cheaper foreign imports and reduced demand caused by the pandemic.
That means the U.S. is at the mercy of foreign countries for its supply of titanium metal, including for its armed services.
The U.S. government has declared that titanium is one of 35 mineral commodities vital to U.S. economic and national security. Yet the U.S. is 100% reliant on imports of primary titanium metal.
That’s why it is vital that the U.S. government support domestic titanium metal production.
We can start here in Tennessee.
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Why Camden, Tenn., is an ideal place to mine titanium
A hundred miles west of Nashville, in Camden, Tennessee, is the McNairy Sand, which is rich in titanium ore and rare earth elements.
Hyperion is the firm developing a project covering 11,000 acres of the McNairy Sand. To turn Tennessee-based titanium ore into domestically produced titanium metal, Hyperion has also secured exclusive rights to patented, U.S.-developed technologies to do just that.
The land around Camden is known for the exceptional grade and thickness of sand containing the titanium minerals rutile and ilmenite as well as zircon and other strategic rare earth minerals.
The Camden area also has excellent infrastructure –roads, power, water, and skilled labor – all the elements necessary to transform a good idea and strategic imperative into reality.
This combination creates the potential to produce sustainable, zero carbon, low-cost titanium right here in the U.S. -- with Tennessee as the epicenter.
There is no reason that the U.S. cannot source titanium minerals from Tennessee and elsewhere in America.
The U.S. has significant reserves of titanium ore, like that in Camden, that can be mined and used to produce titanium metal. The idea is to develop a fully integrated, domestic titanium ore-to-metal supply chain in the U.S., combining domestic sources of titanium minerals with innovative, efficient and environmentally conscious processing methods.
All of this is in keeping with the federal government’s “Buy American” efforts. The Title III Defense Production Act is a viable place to do so. Measures that incentivize private investment in domestic titanium sourcing and manufacturing, including offering tax incentives, are a positive starting point.
Titanium is a 21st-century metal that is fundamental to the technological and military aspirations of the world’s superpowers. The U.S. cannot be dependent on foreign rivals for it. Tennessee can help lead the way toward the self-sufficiency America needs to protect its national interests and security.
Anastasios Arima is managing director and co-founder of Hyperion Metals Ltd., which controls the Titan Project in Tennessee.
