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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The Research Council of Norway and the state of Pará in Brazil has agreed on a new research collaboration. The agreement is important for Hydro's research on biodiversity and forest rehabilitation after bauxite mining. In 2013, Hydro joined an extensive research collaboration (Biodiversity Research Consortium (BRC)) with the University of Oslo and three Brazilian research institutions to provide a research-based approach to replanting after Hydro's bauxite mining in the state of Pará in Brazil. In connection with a recent BRC seminar in Pará, which Crown Prince Haakon also attended, a new letter of intent on academic collaboration and exchange was signed between Pará and the Research Council of Norway. Important for replanting efforts Hydro's vice president responsible for environmental...
The CBIX index remained flat leading into the Malaysian mining ban, which takes effect this week. CBIX was down 1.8% (US$0.9/dmt) to US$47.6/dmt as non-Malaysian cargos continued to display variable (and mostly lower) ViU pricing. Both panamax and capesize freight rates fell further, on the back of lower oil prices and lower vessel charter rates. Malaysian bauxite prices were unchanged, with unwashed bauxite fetching US$26.0/dmt FOB and the corresponding CFR price (ViU adjusted) down 1.1% (US$0.4/dmt) to US$35.4/dmt, due to adjustments in freight rates. The current bauxite price lows are starting to be felt across the industry, with ASX bauxite junior Australian Bauxite Ltd suspending operations to conserve cash after failing to find a buyer for its maiden shipment. Other non-Malaysian...
Mining development companies which are aspiring to make it big in the Australian bauxite market are struggling for traction despite Chinese imports of the aluminium ingredient rising 45 per cent in 2015. While industry giants like Alcoa and Rio Tinto are increasing their exposure to bauxite, the fleet of Australian juniors that sought to ride the same wave are struggling to hang on. Bauxite prices did not rise as high as expected in 2015 as an unexpected, and in some cases unregulated, surge in production from Malaysia added to global supply. The Malaysian surge derailed plans by Australian Bauxite Limited (ABX) to be the first Australian junior into the seaborne trade in 2015, with the company's chief Ian Levy saying in December there was not enough space left at Chinese ports for his...
The bauxite stockpile at Kuantan port will take more than a month to clear, according to shipping industry sources in Pahang, Malaysia. They hope the moratorium brings positive results so there will not be further disruption to their business. A manager in a shipping company that exports the ore to China said the stockpile at Kuantan was over two million tonnes, and shipping it out in time was proving to be a headache. “The one-week timetable allocated to us is unrealistic. At its peak, Kuantan port is capable of loading and shipping out over three million tonnes per month but that is with an all-out effort,” he said. In addition to the tight deadline, no new Approved Permits (APs) had been issued to export ore and this was causing the stockpile to build up rather than cleared. “We have...
Metro Mining MD Simon Finnis in a recent interview gave a detailed update on his company's upcoming bauxite mining development projects. According to the interview excerpts, Metro Mining increased its Cape York Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) bauxite resource base to 65.3 million tonnes. An 11.7 million tonne (DSO) Indicated resource has been estimated. Metro has made a takeover offer for fellow Sunshine State bauxite developer Gulf Alumina which has seen acceptances to date of 19.1% of Gulf’s shares on issue. Metro is in the process of transferring an additional 2.5 million Gulf shares to MMI. A resulting combined company would boast a pro-forma market capitalisation of about A$42 million (prior to any re-rate), or more than double Metro’s current market cap of about $19 million.
A new bauxite mine at Campbell Town in northern Tasmania has gone into care and maintenance after it failed to secure a buyer for its first shipment. Australian Bauxite began mining at Bald Hill early last year, in what is understood to be the country's first new bauxite quarry in 35 years. The company started mining about 12 months ago, employing about 30 people. In November, the company announced a deal with Mumbai-based marketing company Rawmin Alliance to purchase 4.7 million tonnes over the next five years. But Australian Bauxite CEO Ian Levy said it was still unclear when the first shipment would be locked in. "The customers in China are just unable to purchase the bauxite at this time," he said. "Expressions of interest we've got are from China, India, the Middle East and even from...
A substantial bauxite built-up is being apprehended on Kuantan Port’s land when a three-month mining ban kicks in at midnight overseeing January 15. Kuantan Port Consortium general manager Datuk Azahari Muhammad Yusof said lorries were now speeding in bauxite here at an average of 80,000 tonnes a day. With the deadline to stop all bauxite-related work fast approaching, those involved are that have accumulated near the Kuantan Port. Miners and lorry drivers are being pushed to their limits as they claimed they were unaware of how the moratorium would be implemented. “We have more or less 2.8 million tonnes of bauxite in Kuantan Port. We will have roughly three million tonnes by January 15,” Azahari said. He added that this took into account the thousands of tonnes of bauxite being loaded...
Putrajaya, the third and latest Federal Territory of Malaysia, failed to impose any export duties on bauxite mined in Kuantan, losing at least RM180 million in 2015 that could have been channelled back to the people to address pollution concerns caused by the industry, PKR’s Rafizi Ramli said today. The PKR secretary-general said the Assignment of Export Duty (Mineral Ores) Act 1964? stated that the federal government must impose export duty on mineral ores (other than iron and tin), and that the state government could not impose royalty or similar charges. But the Royal Customs Department’s website showed that no export duty was imposed on bauxite by the government, said Rafizi. “Putrajaya decided to forego taxing such a lucrative industry?, even though the bauxite companies reportedly...
Information technology and logistics firm Asdion Bhd says that the three-month moratorium effective this Friday on bauxite mining activities in Pahang has no impact on its business. In a filing with the stock exchange, the company said it had not begun the supply of bauxite to commodities trader Hong Kong International Mining Exchange Ltd (HKIM) to date. Although Asdion received shareholders’ approval to start sourcing and supply of commodities business via its EGM on Nov 2, 2015, this was disrupted due to the monsoon season, which affected the quality of bauxite commodity required by HKIM. It is reported that the three-month moratorium on all bauxite mining activities in Pahang was beneficial for producers in the longer term as greater regularisation would help increase efficiency and...
Ever since a Malaysian government official reportedly said in an interview on January 2 that the country will likely suspend bauxite mining and exports at certain mining sites out of growing environmental concerns, tension has been brewing over how the decision would impact China aluminium market. China, a country that has relied heavily on bauxite from Malaysia since export ban by Indonesia – China’s once top supplier of the aluminium smelting raw material – in January 2014, is belived to be, however, coping with the scenraio comfortably, at least in the near term. SMM understands, the stance shown by the Malaysian government does not mean the country will impose an outright ban on bauxite exports as Indonesia did. Malaysia is expected to resume bauxite mining and exports once local...
The decision of the Malaysian government to impose a moratorium on bauxite mining here could trigger a rise in market price of the mineral after experiencing falling prices in the past five months. Pahang Iron Ore Operators Association chairman Datuk Seri Tengku Zulkifli Tengku Ahmad said the huge stockpiles of the mineral in the international market caused the price of bauxite to fall from US$29 (RM127) per tonne to US$23. “It looks like the moratorium has its positive and negative impacts on mining operators. On the positive aspect, we could see a rise in the price of bauxite and miners need not worry as the moratorium is only for three months and bauxite would not get spoilt," he said. He was speaking to Bernama on the three-month moratorium on bauxite mining following worsening...
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today requested Union Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to grant OMC (Odisha Mining Corporation) the lease and prospecting license of Karlapat bauxite mine. OMC has already applied for the lease of 1848 hectares of explored area and prospecting license for 1157 hectares of explored area of the mine, informed Patnaik to Tomar in a high level meeting held at the Secretariat today. Both the leaders also discussed speeding up the renewal of pending mining leases. Only 80 out of 400 major mineral mines in Odisha are operational at present. Besides, the Central and State Governments have in-principle approved the allocation of Pottangi mines for NALCO and prospecting license (PL) of Thakurani mines for SAIL. “In-principle approval for allocation of...
Commending Indian aluminium major Nalco for its impressive performance despite economic slowdown and sluggish market, Union Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar today said the Navaratna PSU will soon get the Pottangi Bauxite reserve. "Nalco has already got Utkal D and E coal blocks and the aluminium major will get Pottangi Bauxite mines soon," Tomar said at the Foundation Day celebrations of the state-owned aluminium giant here. Notwithstanding the worldwide economic slowdown and sluggish market conditions, Nalco has been able to put up an impressive performance, the Union Minister said, adding, the company proposed to venture into several new activities. A number of activities and projects have been undertaken by Nalco as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) which...
Malaysia on Wednesday imposed a three-month ban on bauxite mining beginning later this month amid worries over its environmental impact, potentially affecting exports of the aluminum-making ore to Chinese smelters. Malaysia emerged last year as a major provider of bauxite after leading producer Indonesia banned ore exports to encourage more processing at home. From January to November, Malaysia exported some 20 million metric tons of bauxite to China, the world’s biggest aluminum producer. That was nearly half China’s total bauxite imports and a sharp increase from 3.25 million tons in the same period in 2014. Industry experts had earlier said Malaysia’s entry into the industry was a game-changer, opening a new source of bauxite to meet demand for aluminum, a metal used in cars and...
Malaysia is a small player in the global bauxite industry but strong demand from China has fuelled a red boom in the country. Bauxite is processed into aluminium oxide or alumina before being smelted to extract aluminium, which is used in all kinds of products ranging from packaging to aeroplanes. In 2013, Malaysia reportedly produced 208,770 tonnes of bauxite, a tiny figure compared to world leader Australia which produced 81 million tonnes. The following year saw a three-fold jump in Malaysia’s production to 962,799 tonnes, according to figures from the Minerals and Geoscience Department. Last year, Malaysia produced an estimated 20 million tonnes to overtake Australia as the biggest bauxite exporter to China. The staggering jump in production is partly to fill a void left by Indonesia...
China had a voracious appetite for both domestic and imported bauxite in 2015 to meet the country’s growing alumina production. However, with some of the biggest alumina producers of the country announcing massive output cuts in recent times, industry watchers conjectured that demand for domestic as well as imported bauxite would decline in the near term; but that is unlikely to happen, as alumina production in the country is still on the rise. China’s bauxite output is expected to increase 5.9% from 2014 to 86.68 million tonnes in 2015, SMM predicts. SMM sees the country’s bauxite imports surging 47% from 2014 to 53.13 million tonnes in 2015.
Noranda Bauxite said yesterday that it had been in consultations with unions representing the workers as it prepares to cut jobs this month. The company said this move was in response to the major decline in the global price of aluminium and demand facing the industry. Noranda Bauxite said that following the temporary suspension of its mining activities on December 21 last year, the company resumed full operations yesterday, with the return of approximately 100 employees who had been laid off during a two-week break in mining over the holiday season. During the lay-off, the company continued to carry out its drying and shipping operations from the plant in Discovery Bay. However, Noranda Bauxite's General Manager Antoine Liddell said that preserving jobs is a major consideration now; but...
A potential suspension on bauxite mining in Malaysia, the world’s top exporter of the aluminium-making ingredient, could dent stockpiles in China but is unlikely to curb breakneck output in the aluminium sector there, industry and analysts said today. The Southeast Asian nation is pushing to suspend bauxite output due to concerns over its impact on the environment, threatening to interrupt supply to No1 aluminium producer China, a cabinet source said at the weekend. The councillor in charge of environment for Malaysia’s main producing state of Pahang, Mohd Soffi Abd Razak, told Reuters today that Pahang’s chief minister and the national resources minister would make a joint statement on the issue “very soon”. World prices for aluminium, used in everything from planes and trains to...
