International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) has completed a project examining aluminium and bauxite supply chains to improve transparency and traceability in materials supporting the renewable energy transition. The project brought together wind energy company Siemens Gamesa, Dutch cable manufacturer TKF, Digital Product Passport (DPP) technology provider Minespider, and project partner Responsible Trade. The initiative mapped selected upstream aluminium and bauxite supply chains and tested secure DPPs to organise and present traceability and sustainability information across multiple supplier tiers. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: " Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price...
Mount Ridley Mines has reported 94.9 per cent gallium recovery from a third-party bauxite sample using its patent-pending Selectro process, alongside recoveries of 92 per cent aluminium and 97 per cent iron in a single low-temperature leach. The test also produced a silica-rich residue instead of conventional red mud, highlighting the technology’s potential to recover multiple metals from bauxite through one processing route. The sample was provided by Australian Silica Quartz Group from its Darling Range bauxite project in Western Australia. It comprised material collected from 16 vacuum drill samples across four holes at the Athena and Ceres prospects. Containing 80 parts per million of gallium, the sample yielded an extraction rate of 94.9 per cent into solution. Mount Ridley said this...
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Vietnam’s gallium industry is gathering pace, supported by the country’s substantial bauxite reserves. While current production levels remain modest, government-led efforts are underway to enhance mining and smelting capabilities. Analysts project strong growth from 2025 to 2034, driven by advanced refining methods and increased international collaboration. Image credit: en.wikipedia.org Gallium, a silvery-white metal with a melting point of 29.8°C, plays a vital role in modern technology and is primarily extracted as a by-product of aluminium and zinc smelting. Due to its low concentration in natural ores such as bauxite, coal and zinc ore, recovery remains complex. The gallium value chain is divided into three key segments: upstream, involving resource extraction and smelting;...
Alcoa's planned expansion of production in Pinjarra Alumina Refinery and bauxite mining at its current Huntly Mine in Western Australia's Darling Range has provoked a series of town hall meetings with the community, which start this week. The company is responding by citing its decades-long history of environmental management and policy reforms over the past few years as proof of its commitment to best-practice operations. Image source: wikipedia Alcoa's planned expansion of production in Pinjarra Alumina Refinery and bauxite mining at its current Huntly Mine in Western Australia's Darling Range has provoked a series of town hall meetings with the community, which start this week. The company is responding by citing its decades-long history of environmental management and policy reforms...
According to the regional prosecutor's office, two workers were injured and hospitalised following a wall collapse at a bauxite mine operated by a subsidiary of Russian metals producer Rusal (RUAL.MM) in the Urals. The incident took place at a depth of 1,172 metres (3,845 feet) within the Cheremukhovskaya-Glubokaya mine, owned by Rusal’s subsidiary SUBR. The mine is recognised as the second deepest in Russia and ranks among the deepest globally. Authorities have initiated a safety compliance inspection at the facility in response to the incident. SUBR confirmed that the collapse occurred when the wall of one of the mine workings gave way and added that the miners were promptly brought to the surface. “The scene of the incident is being examined. Work at other mine levels is proceeding as...
A new governing board has been inaugurated for the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC), marking a renewed commitment to advancing the country’s bauxite and aluminium industry. The 11-member board, chaired by Kweku Sarfo-Buabeng, was officially sworn in by Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah. The Minister hailed the inauguration as a significant milestone in Ghana’s pursuit of long-envisioned industrialisation goals. He urged the board to prioritise value addition by moving beyond the export of raw bauxite and focusing on local refining and aluminium production. The Minister also called on members to end unsustainable bauxite haulage practices and ensure their strategies align with Ghana’s green transition objectives. Speaking at the...
The United States bauxite imports in the first quarter of 2025 recorded both annual and quarterly declines, highlighting the nation’s ongoing shift from primary aluminium production to a greater reliance on recycled materials. This strategic transition has reduced the demand for imported bauxite. According to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Q1 2025 bauxite imports totalled 480,000 tonnes, marking a year-on-year decline of 4.2 per cent from 501,000 tonnes and lower than 500,000 tonnes brought in during Q4 2024. This decrease occurred despite a notable rise in imports from Jamaica, the United States' largest bauxite supplier. Imports from Jamaica surged to 429,000 tonnes in Q1 2025, up by 20.5 per cent from 356,000 tonnes in Q4 2024. However, this figure still marked...
Shares in VBX, a new entrant in Australia’s bauxite sector, traded higher on its ASX debut following a successful USD 10 million IPO, owing to the strong investor confidence in the company’s promising Wuudagu project in Western Australia. Image credit: rawmin.com Listed under the ticker VBX, the stock opened trading and quickly climbed 15 per cent to reach USD 0.69 by June 17, 11:11 am. The IPO attracted several institutional investors, including Deutsche Balaton, Lowell Resources Fund and Terra Capital, reflecting market enthusiasm for the company’s strategy and asset base. VBX is the sole developer of the Wuudagu bauxite project, located in the remote Kimberley region of northern WA, around 15 km west of Kalamburu. The project hosts a 59 Mt reserve, boasting a high-grade specification...
The Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) has reportedly secured six new bauxite mining licences and achieved an essential milestone towards realising the country’s long-standing vision of building a fully integrated aluminium industry. Image source: Ghana Bauxite Company The news came on Thursday, June 12, after Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, Reindorf Twumasi Ankrah, confirmed the arrival of new mining licences that would help Ghana unlock its full mining potential of estimated 920 million tonnes of bauxite in three major locations - Nyinahin, Awaso, and Kyebi. “This is the foundation of a fully integrated aluminium value chain that begins in the soil and ends with high-grade aluminium products for global export.” Mr Ankrah aptly remarked, highlighting...
Renewed hope is emerging for Emirates Global Aluminium's (EGA) subsidiary in Guinea as it hopes to restart conversations with the Guinean government. The discussion will centre around revoking the measures restricting continuing bauxite mining operations. A dispute between the firm and the Guinean government has hovered since October 2024 as the authorities pulled strings from mining operations and bauxite exports. The customs authorities of Guinea blocked GAC's bauxite exports by significantly highlighting concerns regarding customs duties. Also read: EGA's bauxite mining licence to be revoked by military-governed Guinea? However, as reported by Reuters, a process was launched to revoke the EGA's Guinea bauxite mining wing’s licence for failing to build a domestic alumina refinery. On...
Industries in the Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan, have been altering the region by creating mining investments and enhancing downstream processing. Ketapang Regency has the potential to extend from the seas and plantations to bauxite mining. Mining investment, as reported by West Kalimantan Investment Coordinating Board and One-Stop Service, included the Realisation of Domestic Investment (PMDN) as well as Foreign Investment (PMA) in 2024, totalling IDR 31.47 trillion (USD 1.94 billion). One of the significant investments made to PMDN and PMA by Ketapang Regency was valued at IDR 8.60 trillion (USD 530.86 million). Image for representational purposes only (Image source: researchgate.net) Extended downstream processing and mining investments at Ketapang Regency will have broader...
India is set to retain its position as the world’s second-largest primary aluminium producer, with a record-breaking monthly output in the opening month (April) of FY2025-26. Provisional figures indicate strong year-on-year growth in both primary aluminium and its core raw material (bauxite). While bauxite output soared with a double-digit jump, aluminium production posted a modest rise, underscoring an overall impressive growth trajectory in India’s metal and mining industry. Raw material first In April 2025, production of bauxite rose 13.9 per cent year-on-year from 1.87 million tonnes to 2.13 million tonnes. During FY2024-25, the country produced 24.7 million tonnes of bauxite, securing its place as the world’s fifth-largest producer after Guinea, Australia, China, and Brazil....
Following the initiation of bauxite mining revocation by Guinea, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) now eyes Ghana to explore fresh bauxite-related opportunities. According to a report on June 4, the UAE-based aluminium major has inked an agreement with the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) to assess the feasibility of bauxite exploration in the West African country. What’s in the deal? Under the agreement signed with GIADEC, EGA aims to explore Ghana’s estimated 920 million tonnes of bauxite reserves in Ghana, spread across Nyinahin (700 million tonnes), Kyebi (160 million tonnes), and Awaso (60 million tonnes). Despite this vast potential, Ghana currently produces just 1.5 million tonnes annually. Beyond exploration, EGA will also examine the potential for...
The Australian mining firm Metro Mining Limited has reported a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in monthly bauxite shipments, amounting to 671,934 wet metric tonnes (WMT) in May 2025. This increase forms part of a growth trend of increasing volumes of shipments with the company working towards its annual goal of 6.5 - 7 million WMT of bauxite. It is also worth noting this growth follows a previously reported record April with shipments of 424,730 WMT - which was a 12.2 per cent increase over the prior year (but Metro’s all-time monthly record was 720,000 WMT set in August 2024) - highlighting Metro's consistent ongoing operations against more challenging weather earlier in the year. Strategic infrastructure upgrades and production capacity Metro Mining’s flagship Bauxite Hills Mine in...
The Ghana Bauxite Company Limited (GBC) has reportedly clarified that its sole purpose for building a state-of-the-art alumina refinery is to process low-grade bauxite that has been rejected by international markets. Image credit: ghanabauxite General Manager of GBC, Alexander Gyedu, said: “Some of the areas we are mining, the quality is a bit low, but if we have the refinery, the 48 per cent alumina content and below will be refined. Currently, such ore is dumped in the tailing dam, which is now full but contains deposits averaging 47 per cent alumina, suitable for refining.” GBC’s report on processing low-grade bauxite followed the announcement of its plan to accelerate the construction of the refinery, as part of its strategic moves towards enhancing domestic bauxite processing...
Western Yilgarn has expanded its bauxite asset portfolio by acquiring the Cardea 3 Bauxite Project in Western Australia's Darling Range for $25,000. This acquisition, finalised after completing vacuum drilling, involves an initial cash deposit followed by a payment in company shares. The Cardea 3 project is situated approximately 17.5 km east of Western Yilgarn's existing Julimar West Bauxite Project, which holds an estimated 168 million tonnes of bauxite. Exploration efforts at Cardea 3 included 433 vacuum drill holes, with 139 showings available alumina content exceeding 34.5 per cent and average reactive silica content of 3.14 per cent. These results suggest promising bauxite quality. The project's proximity to a multi-user railway offers logistical advantages, especially amid high...
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, has reaffirmed the Jamaican Government’s commitment to revitalising the country’s bauxite and alumina sector, a long-standing contributor to the national economy despite years of contraction. Photo credit: Dave Reid At the Bauxite/Alumina Industry Day held at the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) in Hope Gardens, St. Andrew, Minister Green emphasised the government’s intent to take a more hands-on approach in improving operational efficiency and drawing new investments into the industry. “We are going to be looking at things like the quality of our ore that is left, what is happening across our bauxite companies with the ageing infrastructure, and the plans to invest to ensure that we can be more efficient in what we do,”...
In October 2024, Guinean customs authorities suspended bauxite exports from Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC), a subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), due to unresolved issues with the Guinean government, chiefly around concerns over GAC’s failure to progress on its commitment to build a domestic alumina refinery. As a result, GAC halted exports, and by early 2025, around 2 million tonnes of bauxite had accumulated at the port in Kamsar, unable to be shipped. Image for referential purposes only Located in northwestern Guinea, GAC operates a vast 690-square-kilometre mining concession that feeds directly into international supply chains, thanks to a dedicated rail link to its port at Kamsar. Since exports began in 2019, GAC has become a key supplier of bauxite, the primary ore for...
Guinea has just made a move that could send tremors through global commodity corridors, cancelling from 50 plus to 129 mineral exploration permits in a single sweep. No clarifications. No negotiations. Just a decree from the military-led government aimed at “tightening control” over the West African nation’s mineral treasure trove. A senior official at the Ministry of Mines said the move was to free unused resources for other more potent investors. “We’ve simplified it by digitising the whole system, which can now be better controlled,” the official has disclosed to Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. If you think this is just another bureaucratic reshuffle, think again. This is Guinea signalling that it’s done playing host to dormant licences and absentee investors. The...
Rio Tinto is set to launch early works and final engineering studies for a major expansion of its Amrun bauxite mine on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, targeting first production by 2029. The proposed project, named Kangwinan at the request of the Wik Waya people, the Traditional Owners of the land, marks a significant step forward for Rio Tinto’s Weipa Southern operations. It will see the development of a new mine and the expansion of the existing Amrun port, with plans to nearly double the current bauxite output. If given the green light, the project will see the development of a new mining hub located 15 kilometres south-east of Rio Tinto’s Amrun site, an operation launched in 2018 following a US$1.9 billion investment. Kangwinan is set to create over 800 construction...
