Patrice L’HUILLIER is a seasoned mining & metals executive with more than 30 years’ global experience in project development & operations across the resources sector. He has led development, and operation of projects in France, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Africa and Canada, with expertise across a range of commodities including bauxite, aluminum, iron ore, copper, cobalt and manganese. As COO of multiple publicly listed companies over the past two decades, Mr L’Huillier has extensive experience of operations management covering exploration, mining, metallurgy, and putting several greenfield projects into production. Patrice L’Huillier has graduated from Ecole Nationale des Ponts & Chaussées, Paris, France.
AL Circle: Nimba Mining Company has made an impressive debut, shipping 200,000 tonnes within just two months of starting operations. What production target are you setting for the Tinguilinta mine in 2026, and how could this output support Guinea’s domestic supply at a time when the government is cancelling licenses of foreign operators such as Emirates Global Aluminium?
Patrice L’HUILLIER: Yes, Nimba Mining Company started bauxite export in the end of October 2025 and has already shipped 600,000 tonnes by the beginning of December. We are targeting more than 1 million tons in 2025 and then we will ramp up to 10 million tonnes in 2026. Thanks to general support of all authorities in the Republic of Guinea and in particular, the Minister of Mines & Geology, who is providing a great support. The operational sequence was to restart with port facility in October, railways transportation at the beginning of November/ December, and the Mine before the Christmas. We are really in fast track dynamic model and we don’t want to lose any time with the hiring of 460 employees & hiring of the main contractors.
AL Circle: Out of the total export of 200,000 tonnes of bauxite from the Tinguilinta mine through the Port of Kamsar, what share of your overall production did this shipment represent, and what portion of your output do you intend to export going forward? Which global markets are you prioritising?
Patrice L’HUILLIER: 100% of our production will be exported. We are targeting China and India, which are the major bauxite consumers for alumina production. Our strategy is to sign sales contract with global player able to manage 4-5 million tonnes per year contract to create fruitful cooperation and to add the best value to our product. This mine has a high level reputation in terms of quality stability and we aim to maintain it.
AL Circle: With the Guinean Government revoking Emirates Global Aluminium’s bauxite mining licenses, removing 12 million tonnes of annual capacity from the system, the global supply chain has been rattled. How can Guinea compensate for this sudden deficit, and what role is Nimba Mining prepared to play in
Stabilising supply?
Patrice L’HUILLIER: Nimba Mining Company will compensate and produce 12 million tonnes by 2027 and reach 14 million tonnes afterwards. We will contribute to the increase of bauxite supply from Guinea. Republic of Guinea is and will stay the leader of bauxite supplier in the world. Guinea brings a solid reputation in terms of stable supply, high quality & large volume. Guinea is a world class benchmark and Nimba Mining plans to contribute to it.
AL Circle: What sustainability protocols guide your bauxite mining practices? How does Nimba Mining ensure environmental protection and habitat conservation in the Tinguilinta region?
Patrice L’HUILLIER: Nimba Mining Company is using the highest standard in terms of ESG & community support. We have already started supporting several villages close to our mining operations. Nimba Mining Company wants to be a benchmark in ESG within the Guinean mining industry. This means a lot for us to respect environmental protection, rehabilitation of the impacted area and strong links to develop local communities, local companies, local employment and local content. 99% of our workforce is Guinean works, technician, engineer and Guinean Management.
AL Circle: Guinea mandates that mining companies establish local refining capacity. What are your plans for developing a refinery to align with the country’s industrialisation goals?
Patrice L’HUILLIER: We have already started a tender for BFS of 1,2 millions tonnes alumina refinery located on our mining permit. We have invited the major international engineering companies to cooperate with our project to produce detailed feasibility study. A site location has been already identified with a 14km railway connection. We will also secure a world class ESIA for this project. Once again, we want to move quickly. We believe the full package of studies can be completed in 18 months by mid – 2027.
AL Circle: Guinea holds an estimated 7.4 billion tonnes of bauxite reserves, with just over 140 million tonnes produced annually - leaving billions of tonnes still untapped. How does Nimba Mining plan to help unlock this vast, underexplored resource base?
Patrice L’HUILLIER: Nimba Mining Company has 470 million tonnes (approx.) bauxite resources with 46 per cent Al2O3. In addition, there is still the northern part of our mining permit which has not been fully covered by exploration. So, we have a large potential to increase our resource base. We are planning to launch exploration works in 2026 to better understand the mining potential of this untapped area and investigate further potential production increase with different logistic approach by rails or by trucks.
