Overview
The mining sector in Guinea contributes around 25% of the countrys income, with bauxite production by far the most important contributor, making Guinea a significant bauxite producer. The past few years have been characterised by an ongoing programme to modernise and re-structure the aluminium industry to make it efficient and profitable, and to increase production. Three companies operate several opencast operations in the country dominate Guinea’s bauxite production. Production in 2003 totalled 16 Mt compared to 15,7 Mt in 2002. The largest producer is the Sangarédi (near Boké) mine, operated by Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG), a joint venture between the Government and Halco (whose shareholders include Alcan, Alcoa, Reynolds Metals, Pechiney, Comalco and VAW). CBG employs several thousand people and contributes 80% to the state’s foreign earnings. The company has an annual production capacity of 14 million tons of bauxite.
The 2.3Mt/year Friguia bauxite-alumina complex at Fria is now majority-owned by foreign investors (49% owned by the government) including Péchiney, Noranda, Alcan and Hydro Aluminium. The government has now formed the Alumina Company of Guinea (ACG) to operate the Friguia mine with assistance from Reynolds Metals (wholly owned subsidairy of Alcoa).
The state owned Societé des Bauxites de Kindia (SBK) operates the Kindia mining operations, whose production is exported to the Ukraine. Russian Aluminium (RusAl) has assumed management of SBK and plans to increase production from 1.5 Mt to 2.5Mt. RusAl also intends re evaluating the reserve base at Kindia that has an estimated 30 Mt of reserves. More ersources are also located nearby at Dian Dian that has resources estimated at containing 1000 Mt at an average aluminium content of 50%.
In October 2004 Global Alumina Products Corporation and the Ministry of Mines and Geology of the Republic of Guinea signed an investment and concession agreement for the development and construction of a 2.8 million tonne per annum alumina refinery in Conakry, Guinea. The agreement includes exclusive mining concession with inferred bauxite resources greater than the refinery’s expected requirements over the 99 year initial term for the refinery and its anticipated expansions. The mining concession has an initial term of 25 years with an automatic extension of 25 years, plus continuous 10 year renewals upon delivery by Global Alumina of a maintenance plan
Organisations (6)
Alumina Company of Guinea, Boké Alumina Corporation, Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee SA, Guinea Aluminum Products Corporation Ltd, Halco Mining Inc, Societé des Bauxites de Kindia
Facilities (20)
Aredor, Bankole, Bidikoum, Boke, Dinguiraye, Droubja, Fria, Friguia, Halco aluminium mine, Karta mine, Kerouane, Kindia, Kiniero, Lero Karta, Mifergui, Mount Nimba, Sangaredi, Siguiri, Silidara, Simandou
Participating Organisations
Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee SA
CBG is Guinea’s largest bauxite producer from several opencast operations in Guinea.
Rio Tinto Plc
Through its interest in Halco, Rio Tintos Comalco have a minority interest (4%) in the Boke bauxite mine in Guinea.
