OKLAHOMA CITY — Kerr-McGee Chemical LLC has announced plans for a 10% increase in production capacity at its Kwinana titanium dioxide (TiO₂) pigment plant near Perth, western Australia. The $10-million project, scheduled for completion in mid-2001, will increase production capacity of chloride-process pigment from 86,000 to 95,000 metric tons per year, the company said.

The Kwinana pigment facility, which primarily serves the Asia-Pacific market, is part of Tiwest, a 50/50 joint venture between Kerr-McGee Chemical and Ticor Ltd., a publicly traded Australian company. The expansion is part of Kerr-McGee’s strategy to “grow this core business on a cost-efficient basis. It will also allow us to continue to effectively serve the growing market demand in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Luke R. Corbett, Kerr-McGee chairman and CEO. He said additional expansions at the company’s six TiO₂ facilities around the world will be considered “as market demands warrant.”

Current estimated annual TiO₂ demand in the Asia-Pacific region is 780,000 metric tons, with a projected annual growth rate of 5–6%, Kerr-McGee said.