Kinetic Development Group (HKG:1277) said its rutile project in Sierra Leone officially started production on Oct. 1, with the first line of its first phase completed and commissioned, according to a Tuesday Hong Kong bourse filing.

The first phase comprises three production lines with combined annual ore-processing capacity of about 6 million tonnes and annual heavy mineral sands production capacity of about 220,000 tonnes. The second and third lines are expected to be completed by mid-October and early November, respectively.

Kinetic Development expects the project to produce about 26,000 tonnes of heavy mineral sands in 2026. The group holds exclusive rights to explore, mine, process and sell within a 50-square-kilometre area covered by the project's mining license.