Nimba Mining Company SA has appointed Patrice L'Huillier as Director General and Djiba Diakité as Chairman of the Board of Directors, with both appointments confirmed through separate presidential decrees. The announcement was made on Friday, October 23, 2026, during a national television news broadcast. L'Huillier, a civil engineer specialising in bridges and roads, will serve as Director General for an initial three-year term, which is renewable. According to his appointment decree, he will work under a performance contract with the Ministry of Mines and Geology. The contract will establish his objectives, the methods for assessing his performance and his obligations regarding the transfer of skills to national staff. In a separate decree, Diakité, Minister Director of the Cabinet of...
Rio Tinto’s planned USD 1.9 billion investment in the Kangwinan bauxite project is expected to support more than 1,300 construction jobs in Queensland, while helping secure the long-term future of its Weipa mining operations as existing sources of production approach the end of their lives. Located on Western Cape York Peninsula, Kangwinan will add 20 million tonnes of annual bauxite production capacity, with first output targeted for 2029 and full production expected by 2032. The project will raise Weipa Operations’ annual capacity to around 44 million tonnes from current production of approximately 38 million tonnes. Construction is scheduled to ramp up in 2027. Beyond the immediate employment boost, the investment is expected to help sustain Rio Tinto’s residentially based workforce of...
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Bauxite miners in Pahang in the Kuantan Bay area have to bear the cost of constructing the road that will be used exclusively for transporting bauxite from Bukit Goh to the Port, said Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob. Based on his latest discussion with the state’s Land and Mining Office, Adnan said, the road is expected to be built as planned. “The cost will be borne among the bauxite mining operators, not the state government,” Adnan said last Saturday. “What can we do, royalty was not paid. Now, we impose a new regulation, to enter the port, they have to pay royalty.” Adnan also indicated that the Kuantan government would issue standard operating procedures (SOP) for the bauxite industry and associated logistics once the current moratorium was over. The procedures cover...
CBIX rose 2.3 per cent (US$1/dmt), closing at US$47.2/dmt for the week on the back of higher priced cargos from Brazil and Australia (ViU-adjusted). Also of note last week was another cargo arriving in China from Montenegro, illustrating the continuing push from Chinese refiners to diversify alternative supply sources. Malaysian bauxite continues to trickle into China, ahead of the full removal of the mining ban, which we expect next month. Malaysian FOB prices were unchanged at US$26/dmt for unwashed material, with washed material is still priced at approximately US$37/dmt FOB. Chinese domestic alumina prices were unchanged over the week, with the North on RMB1,756/t (US$265/t including VAT) and the South at RMB1,780/t (US$268/t including VAT). Freight rates for both Panamax and Capesize...
North Queensland is home to some of the world's largest bauxite deposits, but their potential remains largely hidden under the earth as no mining company has yet come forward to exploit it in a sustainable manner. Recently, a University of Queensland scholar has collaborated with the global mining giant Rio Tinto to find out a new way to process bauxite, the principal ore of aluminium, that will not only add value to it but will also help reduce the mine’s environmental impact significantly. Dr Hong Peng, faculty at the UQ School of Chemical Engineering said the new method Rio Tinto is looking at, turned bauxite waste products, especially red mud, into economically viable resources. “Bauxite ore is necessary to produce aluminium, which is in many of the products we use every day,” Dr Pend...
Xinfa Aurum Exploration (Fiji) Limited shipped off their first consignment of bauxite for this year to China from Nawailevu jetty in Bua, Vanua Levu, last Sunday. A total of 69,701.65 tonnes of bauxite was exported from the Bua port, confirmed Xinfa Aurum Exploration (Fiji) managing director, Sireli Dagaga. Mr Dagaga said the mining firm is planning to ship two more bauxite consignments before this year, but that would depend on the weather conditions. “If the weather is good, then shipment schedule will be carried out as planned,” he said. Xinfa last exported bauxite in April, 2015. So far, a total of 22 shipments of bauxite has been carried out by the Fiji miner from 2012 to 2015.
The Government of Odisha has finally woken up to the acute raw material crisis that forced metal and mining giant Vedanta to partially close down its alumina refinery in Lanjigarh in December last year. The State government said on Wednesday that it will provide bauxite for the ailing refinery from the Kodingamali bauxite mines in Koraput district. The bauxite mines, spread over an area of 428.31 hectares (ha) area, are owned by the PSU Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). "We will make arrangements for bauxite supplies to Vedanta plant from OMC's Kodingamali mines. Bauxite supplies can take off once production starts from the mines", said Odisha's steel & mines minister Prafulla Mallick. The Lanjigarh alumina refinery has been depending on bauxite procured from states like Gujarat,...
CBIX declined 1.5 per cent over the week (US$0.7/dmt), closing at US$46.1/dmt, with lower ViU-priced Malaysian bauxite re-appearing to pull the index lower. This is despite the Malaysian bauxite mining ban being extended until at least mid-September. The recent Malaysian cargos come as a result of government-mandated clearing of existing mine stocks, as well material originating from other parts of Malaysia, rather than the signaling of a return to mining in the Kuantan region. Industry participants in Malaysia are expecting the ban to be lifted on September 15, claiming that all requirements necessary to meet stricter operating regulations are now in place. These new regulations are likely to lift prices in Kuantan, as well as see further migration of mining activities to Johor, which...
A key mine plan drilling campaign is under way at ASX-listed bauxite developer Metallica Minerals’ Urquhart bauxite project, near Weipa, in north Queensland, to assist with the company’s final planning for a 2017 mine start. Metallica noted on Thursday, August 11, that the results of the drilling campaign would be used as part of the project’s prefeasibility study (PFS), which is due for completion in eight to ten weeks. The PFS is expected to confirm the results of a previously completed options study undertaken internally by Metallica early this year to progress the project as a new Cape York direct-shipping bauxite mine and export operation. Results from the programme will also be used to upgrade the project’s current bauxite Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant inferred resource....
According to the provisional mining data (yet-to-be-released) reviewed by InfraCircle, India’s overall mineral production during the first quarter of 2016 has increased 14 per cent to reach 138.53 million tonnes (MT) compared with 121.11 MT during the same period last year. The value-wise growth, however, has gone down by 4 per cent to total at INR9,758.96 crore compared with INR10,180.7027 crore in the corresponding period previous year. The rise in mineral production comes at a time when the two-year old government, credited with setting up a template for natural resource allocation in India, aims to speed up auction processes across the states to increase mineral production. Despite severe volatility in the commodity prices in the global market, India’s mineral in FY 2015-16 grew by 9...
The Government of Jamaica is all set to meet with the officials of the Jiuquan Iron & Steel (JISCO) in September this year. This will be the first meeting since the Chinese firm bought bauxite company Alpart Jamaica from UC RUSAL, last month, at a total price of US$300 million. According to a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister "the meeting is to re-affirm Jamaican government’s commitment to a transparent and rigorous process of balancing our economic growth aspirations, our environmental imperatives and our international obligations." “The Government is preparing to receive and consider the definitive plans regarding the development of Alpart,” the release stated. The government is coordinating across all ministries concerned and agencies in preparation for these...
BHP Billiton has announced the joining of Ken MacKenzie in its board of directors. The former Amcor boss will be instrumental in envisioning future goals and strategies for the global miner having portfolios comprising multiple commodities including bauxite. MacKenzie will join BHP on September 22. On his joining, the number of non-executive directors in the miner's Board of Directors will be lifted back to 12. “Ken will be a great addition to the board of BHP Billiton,” BHP Billiton chairman Jac Nasser said in an official statement. “He will bring extensive global and executive experience, and a deeply strategic approach. He has a proven track record, having led a successful company in a challenging sector for a decade.” Mr MacKenzie retired last year as managing director of packaging...
The Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy & Materials International Exhibition and Conference (MMMM) is a leading biennial international event for industry players from these sectors. Each edition of the event has been making significant value additions to the industry and visitor turnout and the volume of business transactions have shown remarkable improvement over the years. MMMM exhibition is concurrent with an International Conference organized by The Indian Institute of Metals – Delhi Chapter. MMMM 2016 (Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy and Materials) is the 11th Edition in the series and it has opened its doors to the exhibitors and visitors today at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India and will continue till August 12. The event will serve as an ideal B2B platform for company decision makers,...
Australian Bauxite (ABx) from Sydney has completed its second and largest sale of bauxite from its Bald Hill mine, in Tasmania. They shipped 35 913 tonnes of cement-grade bauxite from Bell Bay port. The Bald Hill mine is the first new bauxite project in Australia in more than 35 years which reopened on August 3 five days ahead of schedule to start preparing for their third cargo for sale by 2016 end. Commenting on the successful shipping of the cargo, ABx COO Leon Hawker said, “We have now demonstrated to all our customers that we can load and ship large tonnage cargos very efficiently from Bell Bay. It also demonstrates that our stockpiles of bauxite perform very well, having withstood the recent major floods in northern Tasmania, without degrading.” ABx bauxite products will be shipped...
CBIX retreated 2.7 per cent (US$1.3/dmt) over the week, closing at US$46.9/dmt. The fall signalled the return of some Malaysian bauxite to the Chinese market, which is typically priced lower (on a value-adjusted basis) than cargos from other countries. Malaysia’s return weighed heavily on this week's closing price. Malaysian FOB prices remain unchanged at US$26/dmt for unwashed material, with washed material still selling for US$37/dmt FOB. Guinean bauxite continues to be exported to China in increasing volumes, with both cape and panamax vessels now routinely arriving in China. Prices do vary, although recent data suggests high-grade Guinean material is currently fetching US$49/dmt CFR, which equates to a CBIX value of US$43/dmt. Chinese domestic alumina prices are treading water, with...
Mining and clean, renewable energy do not share a common ground. Since years mineral extraction has caused environmental devastation in many countries across the world. Profit-driven boardrooms of mining multinationals have seldom prioritized climate change and sustainability considerations. But given the estimated $13.5 trillion commitment to be made for COP21, the global mining sector, which includes bauxite mining fraternity, has to contribute towards the cause of reducing carbon emissions, while addressing the issue related to energy-insecurity. Mining sector globally consumes 38 percent of industrial energy. There are only a handful of companies that have taken a step forward in this direction. In Queensland, Australia, Rio Tinto along with Arizona-based First Solar and help from...
Experts predict that Guinea will replace Australia as China’s top bauxite supplier by 2017, China’s Ministry of Finance said on its website on July 22. Bauxite output in Guinea totaled some 19 million tonnes in 2015 and is expected to reach 28 million tonnes by 2016. The figure is likely to hit 66 million tonnes by 2018 along with expansions at CBG and commencement of GAC, COBAD and ALUFER, according to the Ministry of Mines and Geology of the Republic of Guinea. China Winning Group, a consortium jointly invested by Singapore’s Winning International Group, China’s Yantai Port Group, China’s Shandong Hongqiao Group, and Guinea’s United Mining Supply (UMS), established Société Minière de Boké (SMB) in Guinea that is responsible bauxite mining in the country. It is planned that bauxite...
Irving, Texas based multinational engineering and construction firm Fluor Corporation has been awarded with a major bauxite expansion project in Guinea. The engineering, procurement and construction management contract was signed between the representatives of Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG) and Fluor Corp. The project, booked at a contract value of $501 million (into backlog in the second quarter of 2016) will expand CBG’s bauxite production from 14.5 million to 18.5 million tons per year. The scope of the project includes expansion of the mine infrastructure, rail system, port facility and processing plant infrastructure and utilities. Fluor has been on board since the early stages of the project executing the feasibility study and early engineering. The project will be CBG’s...
CBIX dropped 2.8 per cent (US$1.4/dmt), closing at US$48.1/dmt for the week due to two lower ViU cargos from Malaysia re-entering the Chinese market. This is despite a further extension of the Malaysian mining ban, by two months, to September 15th. Malaysian FOB prices remain unchanged at US$26/dmt (non-ViU) for unwashed material. Prices for washed material are approximately US$37/dmt FOB (non-ViU). Rationale for the mining ban extension is the export of all existing stocks (port and mines) and the clearing of stockpile areas outside the Kuantan port area, before normal mining and export arrangements can resume. In the interim, miners continue to export out of Kemaman port, 50km to the north of Kuantan, and also from the Johor region in the south. The new stock clearing arrangements will...
IronRidge Resources has unveiled an initial 4.9 million tonne (MT) resource of bauxite at its Monogorilby project in Queensland, Australia. Bauxite is processed to produce aluminium and this maiden resource comes a time when major miners are approving significant long-term project expansions to meet growing demand, the group said. Early test work has shown that good to premium quality DSO (direct shipping ore and the most desirable iron product) could be processed through simple crushing and screening. Meanwhile, a fair quality DSO at 38 per cent mass recovery could also be beneficiated by simple crushing and screening, the mining firm said. The mineralisation is on slopes and atop hills meaning low stripping ratios. Chief executive Vincent Mascolo said: "We are very pleased to report the...
