RE: HPA 6N purity level Great, another big news to come before the end of the year.
MONTREAL, Sept. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbite Aluminae Inc. (ORT.TO) (EORBF) ("Orbite" or the "Company"), a leading provider of clean technology and developer of breakthrough alternative solutions for the alumina production industry, today announced it will begin producing high-purity alumina (HPA) in the first quarter of 2013 at its plant in Cap-Chat Quebec.
Orbite is expected to be the only North American company producing a 5N (99.999%) purity level of alumina, which is a rapidly growing market driven by increasing demand for LED lighting and products – applications that already represent nearly half of the overall market for HPA. By 2015, LED usage is expected to account for about 60 percent of the total HPA market partially due to legislation mandating a shift from incandescent and CFL (compact florescent) to LED lighting.
"Global demand for high-purity alumina is quickly exceeding the available supply," said Richard Boudreault, President and CEO of Orbite Aluminae. "Orbite should help address this deficit, which is critical to a range of industries, and is well positioned to be a strategic alternative to the Asian producers who've largely dominated and controlled the market."
Boudreault noted that another key market factor is the quality of the metal. "As technological applications continue to develop and advance, they require alumina that has a higher rate of purity, which is why our laboratory is also working hard to develop a 6N (or 99.9999%) purity level before the Company's HPA commercial plant is in service. The HPA plant, expected in operation early next year, will also enable the production of Rare Earth Elements," he commented.