Empire Metals Limited, listed on the London Stock Exchange (LON:EEE) and OTCQX (EPMLF), has secured AUD$53 million in funding over a decade from Australia’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme. The investment, announced in March 2026, will support a collaboration with Murdoch University and the Critical Metals for Critical Industries CRC to develop a novel titanium production pathway at the Pitfield Titanium Project in Western Australia.
The project aims to demonstrate the viability of using Pitfield’s $ ext{TiO}_2$ feedstock for direct titanium metal production via molten salt electrolysis (MSE), a process that replaces the traditional Kroll process—a 1940s-era multi-stage batch method requiring $ ext{TiO}_2$ conversion to titanium tetrachloride before reduction with magnesium. MSE offers a single-step electrochemical reduction, potentially lowering costs and energy use. Initial phases are expected to conclude in early 2027, with a focus on scaling to continuous pilot operations.
Empire’s mineral resource estimate at Pitfield stands at 8.16 billion tonnes, grading 4.3% $ ext{TiO}_2$, yielding 349 million tonnes of contained $ ext{TiO}_2$. The research will leverage renewable energy to power the process, aligning with global demand for low-carbon titanium for aerospace, defense, and automotive industries.
The funding underscores Australia’s strategic push to bolster critical mineral supply chains, particularly for metals like titanium, which are essential for advanced manufacturing and energy transition technologies.
