Mozambique plans to invest around USD 126 million in a solar power plant to supply electricity to mining companies in Gaza Province, southern Mozambique, according to state news agency AIM. Provincial governor Alfeu Cuna announced the plan at the Conference on Adding Value to Mineral Resources (CAVAME-d 2026) in Nacala. The project aims to strengthen electricity supply for mining operations and industries linked to mineral processing. Gaza Province has heavy mineral sands deposits at Chibuto and limestone at Mabalane. The government is also planning mineral processing facilities in Mabalane and Mapai, where limestone deposits have been identified. Other mineral resources in the province could support cement production and related industries. Explore the production, demand and consumption...
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...
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Metallica Minerals is expected to trade materially higher today after executing a Joint Venture agreement with a private Chinese investor for $7.5 million to develop its Urquhart Point bauxite and mineral sand deposits in Queensland. Funding will also be allocated towards exploration for other Heavy Mineral Sands and Bauxite deposits on its tenements on the western side of Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula. Capital from the JV will fully finance construction of Metallica’s proposed Urquhart Point Mineral Sands mine, based on the $6.5 million CAPEX and working capital requirements outlined in the Project Feasibility Study released in June. The mine will be the first HMS-operation for Metallica to achieve production. Agreement terms A $500,000 deposit payable under the agreement and is to be...
Aziana Limited has opened an online data room to a third party that could join as a partner to develop its Manantenina Bauxite Project in Madagascar. While under the radar to some investors, it shouldn't be as Manantenina offers a number of bauxite riches that a JV partner would salivate over. Boasting a deposit to date of 10.09 million tonnes at Esama over 6.25 square kilometres, with available alumina of 30-45% and reactive silica of less than 2.5%. There looks to be significant resource upside to boot, of 120-160 million tonnes which would be attractive to a partner to do the heavy financial lifting to develop a Direct Shipping Ore product from the project. As is the case with many bauxite deposits, the Indonesian export ban of bauxite has re-heightened interest in Manantenina. The...
Queensland Bauxite will undertake a more involved drilling programme at South Johnstone in northern Queensland to further define the size, grade and shape of the deposit. Which should not pose an issue given the handy $4.1 million in cash it had at 30 June 2014. It is also looking to upgrade the portion of the existing JORC Inferred Resource to a JORC Indicated / Measured Resource category. The project has an early stage Inferred Resource of 30 million tonnes of bauxite, out of a project size that could reach 300 million tonnes of bauxite. The average grade of the bauxite at low temperature leaching is 25.2% available alumina and 6.9% reactive silica. Although parts of the existing resource returned available alumina results of 32% and reactive silica results at less than 2%, which is a...
Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says a lease for the Aurukun bauxite resource on Cape York will only be granted to mining companies that can begin operating immediately. The Queensland Government called for expressions of interest to develop the resource in November 2012 and short-listed two proponents last September. However, it abandoned the process earlier this year, saying neither could ensure the local community would reap the economic benefits of the project in a timely manner. Mr Seeney says the proponents, Glencore International and Australian Indigenous Resources, remain interested and are among several companies in talks with the Government. "Both the players that were in the ... short list and other players and we've said very clearly that we're very happy to talk to anybody who has...
The Centre’s Project Monitoring Group (PMG) will soon take up the issue of stalled process of bauxite mining in Andhra Pradesh, state government officials said here today. The clearances sought for mining of bauxite ore by the state-owned AP Mining Development Corporation (APMDC) was kept in abeyance under the UPA dispensation after then Union tribal affairs minister and Araku MP V Kishore Chandra Deo opposed the move. The reversal of stand on bauxite mining came as a big blow to Anrak Aluminium Limited, one of the two companies with whom APMDC had signed the bauxite ore supply agreement in 2007. The company had heavily invested in an aluminium refinery project in Visakhapatnam. Anil Swarup, chairman of the PMG, who reviewed the status of pending issues of over dozen projects in AP, on...
The state government is yet to dispose off over 300 pending PL (prospecting licence) applications for bauxite deposits in Kalahandi district and undivided Koraput region. Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (now Sesa Sterlite), Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL), Jindal Photo Ltd, Hindalco Industries, RSB Metaltech Ltd and state owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) are among the wait-listed contenders seeking PL for bauxite reserves. The pendency rate of such applications ranges from two to 25 years, reveals a written reply by steel & mines minster Prafulla Kumar Mallick to the state assembly. The PL applications are pending at the level of the district collector, directorate of mines and steel & mines department. Vedanta Group firm Sesa Sterlite that is struggling to keep...
Canyon Resources Ltd has alleged locating a large bauxite deposit in the Birsok project, in the centre of Cameroon, that it is in the way to having 75%, following a joint agreement, struck in late 2013, with the British company, Altus Strategies Ltd. In the research report published on July 23, the ASX listed company indicated that the first round of drilling confirmed the existence of a thick layer of mineralisation, starting from the surface, of high bauxite content in the project involving two licences covering close to 1,460 km2. The latest results obtained are “the highest to date”, especially those of the Djombi plateau, where, in some places, “there is high bauxite content with over 50% aluminium oxide (Al2O3) with low contamination levels, which is at least 5% silicium dioxide...
Vedanta Resources Plc, a London-listed mining giant, would explore new deposits of iron-bauxite in Odisha to feed its Lanjigarh refinery. The move is seen as initiative by the company to acquire the raw material required for aluminium producing after the Niyamgiri fallout where Vedanta Resources failed to get environment clearances to mine bauxite. The company has a 1 million tonne refinery in Lanjigarh (Odisha). "In Odisha, there are actually large Bauxite endowments throughout the state that Vedanta can explore," Tom Albanese, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vedanta Resources Plc, said. He is on a visit to Balco-Korba where the company has a major aluminium facility. Albanese said they would look for those bauxite resources that are not confronting the environment and community...
The Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining has initiated the winding up of the Bauxite and Alumina Trading Company (BATCo), which it indicates is one step forward in its plan to merge administratively all government entities dedicated to management of bauxite resources. Entities to be consolidated also include Clarendon Alumina Production Limited (CAP), the Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited (JBM) and the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI). The entities will be merged or wound up in order to realise greater efficiencies in their operation under the current public-sector transformation programme. The ministry issued a notice of the July 2 appointment of receiver Kenneth Lewis to wrap up the operations of BATCo. The company is profitable. During the last financial year, it invoiced UC...
China saw imports of bauxite jump nearly 40% last month, but the figure was still well down on pre-Indonesian ban highs. The world’s largest importer of the aluminium making ingredient imported 2.9mt of bauxite in June, according to shipbroker SSY. While it is a significant increase on previous months this year it is still well below the year-to-date high of 8mt achieved in January. Indian bauxite exports to China rose to their highest level in 12 months in June at 800,000t, up 46% month-on-month. Imports of bauxite from Australia also increased in June, up 14% year-on-year to 1.4mt, according to SSY. In January 2014, Indonesia introduced new regulations banning the export of unprocessed minerals such as nickel ore and bauxite. China imported significant volumes of bauxite in anticipation...
Attention maybe turned to exploration of bauxite ore after opening floodgates to greater private participation in coal mining by the National Democratic Alliance Government. The mining lobby, which was lying low for quite sometime after the UPA-II put in abeyance all clearances accorded to bauxite mining in the Scheduled Areas of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari, has stepped up its effort to revive their projects by sourcing the raw material through the AP Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC). Anti-mining activists fear that the government might allow mining bauxite ore for the projects planned by Anrak Aluminium Limited, Jindal South West Aluminium Limited and NALCO. These projects are in the pipeline with a total investment of around Rs.25,000 crore. “Post-bifurcation, the clearances...
Local aluminum players claim to always have shortages of the mineral but the major bauxite players are keen to export it because of the lucrative international prices. Now, with a 20 percent tax, it will become more expensive to export bauxite, thus adding capacity to domestic aluminum production. Which could also mean cheaper aluminum being manufactured in India. At least, India’s Hindalco and the London-listed Vedanta Resources have been looking to expand aluminum production capacity in the country, which necessitates the supply of billions of tons of the raw material. Vedanta, especially, has not found it easy to tap into domestic sources. The new tax hike could make things easier for both, especially Vedanta Group’s Sesa Sterlite, which has been struggling to run its alumina refinery...
Aziana shares have jumped up to 65% today to an intraday high of $0.033, from a $0.02 close yesterday. Shares last traded at $0.03. After today's rise the company is capitalised at around $6 million and holds almost $3 million in cash following the sale of non-core graphite and gold leases in Madagascar. Aziana sold its non-core assets to focus funds on its flagship Antanisoa Graphite and Manantenina Bauxite projects, and recently revealed that "one or more" parties had expressed interest in partnering with the on its key assets. The Manantenina Bauxite is the largest undeveloped Indian Ocean-based bauxite deposit with potential for 120-160 million tonnes at 35-45% available alumina and less than 2% reactive silica.
Queensland Bauxite has revealed that bauxite from South Johnstone in Queensland consists of gibbsite of between 36-48% level. This is significant as the gibbsite mineral readily dissolves at low temperatures and pressures at the alumina refinery stage (the Bayer process). Hence it is easier and less costly to process at low temperature than non-gibbsitic bauxite. XRD testing (XRD) results were received from selected drill samples from the South Johnstone bauxites which were found to be predominantly gibbsite with lesser amounts of iron/titanium oxides, clay minerals and quartz. By way of comparison, Weipa bauxite consists mainly of 55% aluminium trihydroxide (also called gibbsite).
India’s move to double the export tax on aluminum-rich bauxite to 20% is likely to heat up prices for Chinese buyers, who have been scouring for the mineral ever since Indonesia imposed a ban on shipments earlier this year. India’s rich mining resources have been drawing interest from overseas with China last year buying more than 90% of the country’s exports of bauxite, used as raw material to make aluminum. But India’s proposal in last week’s budget plan to raise export tax to help local aluminum producers now risks stoking global prices higher and adding to headaches for China struggling to find supplies. “Higher duties may ensure better domestic availability; but could push bauxite prices to rise faster as it moves India up the cost curve for landed volumes into China,” said analysts...
Explorer Bauxite Resources has increased the resource of its Athena bauxite deposit, in the Darling Ranges of Western Australia, by some 59%. The Athena deposit was now estimated to host some 36.2-million tonnes, grading 32.8% alumina and 2.8% reactive silica. The Athena deposit forms part of a joint venture (JV) between Bauxite Resources and a subsidiary of Shandong Bureau No 1 Institute for Prospecting of Geology & Minerals, HD Mining & Investments (HDM). Under the terms of the JV, HDM could earn a 40% interest in the project by undertaking a feasibility study on the project area. The Chinese firm could earn a further 20% participatory interest in the resource after completing the feasibility study and advancing towards a decision to mine. Bauxite Resources CEO Peter Canterbury told...
Government has issued a formal notice, to Russian aluminium company UC Rusal, of its intention to revoke the special mining rights for its Alpart and Kirkvine refineries, if "bona fide" mining operations do not resume within six months. This was disclosed by Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell, as he closed the 2014/15 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives. "The bauxite reserves associated with both plants represent over 200 million tonnes of ore idling in the ground while the plants flounder in uncertainty, and the livelihood of thousands continue to be in peril. This situation cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely," Paulwell said. The Alpart and Kirkvine refineries have been non-operational since 2009. The mining minister also noted that...
Chennai, July 10 (IANS) The hike in export duty on bauxite and the import duty on flat rolled products of stainless steel proposed by union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is favourable for the domestic players, said a sectoral analyst. "It augurs well for aluminium industry's capacity expansion plans as domestic ore availability will increase," said Venkatesan Subramanian, vice president and global leader, metals and minerals practice, Frost & Sullivan. Presenting the budget proposals for 2014-15, Jaitley proposed to hike the export duty on bauxite to 20 percent from the current 10 percent. The impact of the duty hike will be that exports would be curbed while the domestic supply would increase, benefiting the Indian aluminium companies. Similarly, hike of import duty on flat rolled...
