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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Where companies fear losing rights and concessions, Lindian Resources, an Australian mining entity, is confident about its safety in the Guinean mining business. But where is this confidence stemming from? The answer lies in three nouns — Lelouma, Gaoual and Woula. Lelouma bauxite project, described as a ‘Tier 1’ bauxite project, is a recently secured (April 2025) Lindian Resources’ 100 per cent ownership project. It boasts a JORC-compliant Mineral Resource of 900 million tonnes at 45 per cent aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) and 2.1 per cent silicon dioxide (SiO₂). The project aims to produce direct shipping ore (DSO), meaning it won’t require extensive processing. It’s strategically located near existing infrastructure, including a railway line and the Kamsar port. The Gaoual bauxite project,...
Guinea, a West African country bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, has an economy that is profoundly intertwined with its bauxite mining industry, which serves as a cornerstone of national economic activity, export earnings, and foreign investment. Recently (May 2025), Guinea announced the repossession of 51 mining licenses, including those for bauxite, citing non-compliance with development timelines and operational requirements. This includes licenses for companies like Kebo Energy SA and Emirates Global Aluminium, specifically due to their failure to fulfil commitments to build local alumina refineries. This serves as a strong warning to other major operators. But why is the country, whose economic development largely depends on bauxite trade, taking such an eccentric decision?...
Canyon Resources Limited has secured a substantial USD 24.5 million investment from its major shareholder, Eagle Eye Asset Holdings, following the exercise of 350 million options. This move will raise Eagle Eye’s ownership in Canyon to 54.7 per cent and strengthen the company’s cash position, enabling accelerated progress on the Minim Martap Bauxite Project. Image credit: canyonresources The Minim Martap project, located in central Cameroon, is a high-grade bauxite resource poised to become a key player in the aluminium supply chain. By focusing on direct shipping ore (DSO), the project aims to streamline the transition from raw bauxite to aluminium production, catering to the growing global demand for sustainable and efficient aluminium sources. In its financial year ending June 30,...
Guinea’s bauxite sector has drawn significant attention in recent years, with production nearing 130-137 million tonnes annually and multiple mining and infrastructure projects underway. Key developments include initiatives by Kebo Energy SA, GAC, and Arrow Minerals, along with the Trans-Guinean railway to streamline ore transport. But the Guinean government has recently moved to withdraw Kebo Energy SA’s mining concession, following EGA’s mining licence cancellation last week . Image source: EGA According to a recent report, Kebo has failed to meet its investment commitments, prompting the Guinean government to revoke the long-standing mining concession. Some sources close to Kebo also confirmed the news, citing shortfall to inadequate funding, including for a planned alumina refinery....
Norges Bank Investment Management announced plans to engage with Rio Tinto and South32. This decision follows environmental concerns about their involvement in the Mineração Rio do Norte joint venture (JV) bauxite mine in Brazil's Amazon rainforest. Image source: en.wikipedia Aluminium production begins with bauxite mining, making MRN's operations central to this industry. The fund's focus on MRN underscores aluminium's environmental footprint, especially in ecologically sensitive areas like the Amazon. MRN is a joint venture comprising Glencore (45 per cent), South32 (33 per cent), and Rio Tinto (22 per cent). The fund owns approximately 2.5 per cent of Rio Tinto, 0.13 per cent of Rio Tinto Ltd, and 2.6 per cent of South32. These stakes provide NBIM with significant influence to advocate...
The Republic of Guinea has reportedly initiated proceedings to revoke the mining license of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), which, if announced officially, has the potential to impact the global bauxite production scene forever if the announcement comes to reality, it proves to be a part of Guinea's broader strategy to assert greater control over its mineral resources and ensure that foreign investments align with national interests. EGA, jointly owned by Abu Dhabi's Mubadala and Dubai's Investment Corporation, operates the Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC), one of the country's largest bauxite mining operations. Since commencing operations in 2019, GAC has been a major contributor to Guinea's bauxite exports, with around 14 million tonnes exported in 2022. However, in October 2024,...
China has been adorned with the title of ‘undisputed heavyweight’ in aluminium production for the past few years. It churns out over 50 per cent of the world’s aluminium and more than half of its alumina. But its towering lead rests on a weak foundation, i.e. imported bauxite. Despite sitting on a billion tonnes of the red rock, China has never truly cracked how to use it owing to its low grade. But it is time that could be about to change. All thanks to an unlikely saviour, a low-profile French tech firm, IB2, says it can turn China’s low-grade ore into high-value alumina, without the environmental or economic pain. For decades, China’s aluminium industry has thrived by importing better-quality bauxite from overseas. Guinea, Australia, and Indonesia have been the backbone of this...
Rio Tinto, in collaboration with Indium Corporation, has reportedly extracted the first batch of primary gallium in its Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Quebec, the only refinery in Canada, as part of the move to produce commercial quantities of critical and strategic minerals present in the bauxite. Image source: Asian Scientist Magazine Gallium is a key input in semiconductors and high-performance electronics used in radar systems, smartphones, electric vehicles, and computing devices. With global production limited to approximately 600 metric tonnes annually, all sourced outside of North America, this project represents a strategic leap forward in reducing supply chain vulnerabilities for critical technologies. Also, this initiative comes at a pivotal moment, following China’s export ban...
With an ESG vision of serving the market with low-cost bauxite and delivering long-term benefits to stakeholders, Queensland-based Metro Mining has set its sights higher for its 2025 bauxite shipment target. The confidence to aim higher stems naturally from the company’s strong performance in 2024. Although it narrowly missed its annual shipment target by a few percentage points, the final figure still marked a record-breaking achievement. Financial performance analysis ’24 Despite a prolonged wet season that delayed the start of operations and adverse weather in December that forced the cancellation of the final vessel in the shipping schedule, Metro successfully delivered a record 5.7 million WMT from the Bauxite Hills Mine in 2024. The company continued to benefit from a tight global...
An Australia-based emerging mineral processing technology company Zeotech has reportedly signed an offtake agreement with China-based international trading company Jiangsu Mineral Sources International (MSI) for the direct shipping of ore products like bauxite clay, pink cosmetic grade kaolin and low-iron kaolin. This agreement enables MSI to purchase these minerals from Zeotech, with specific quantities of each product for the next 5 years. The quantities of these products include 1.5 million tonnes of bauxitic clay, 150,000 tonnes of pink cosmetic grade kaolin and 800,000 tonnes of low-iron kaolin. The main focus of the MoU is diverged towards sustaining mining operations at Zeotech's Toondoon Kaolin Project in Queensland, Australia spanning over 28,000 hectares. The project focuses on...
It is time for India to emerge in grand celebration. India has yet again achieved the record-breaking milestone for producing rich minerals for the financial year 2024-25. This has been significantly possible for doubled output from the key industries and the non-ferrous minerals. Robust performance is witnessed in the bauxite and aluminium and other important minerals like iron ore, manganese and copper. Image source: ALS Global In FY24-25 (April to February), India's bauxite production stood at 22.7 million tonnes, showing an increase of 3.6 per cent from 21.9 million tonnes in FY23-24 (April to February). This reinstates India's position as one of the top bauxite producers, making it highly critical for the country's aluminium industry's robust growth. Within India's non-ferrous...
In a dramatic turn of events on Sunday, May 4, a bauxite-laden tanker veered off an overbridge in Rayagada and plunged 30 feet below, triggering a major accident. The vehicle, en route from Koraput to Jharsuguda, lost balance when the driver swerved sharply to avoid an oncoming scooter. The driver sustained injuries and was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. Two local fish vendors, who happened to be under the bridge at the time, suffered minor injuries. Police promptly arrived at the scene and launched a rescue operation. Authorities have begun investigating the cause of the incident and are reviewing safety protocols for heavy vehicle movement in the region. Rayagada – renowned for its rich bauxite reserves Rayagada, a district in...
On April 2, 2025, Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Bahlil Lahadalia responded to concerns that state-owned mining firm PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) cannot sell its bauxite due to ongoing export restrictions. Bahlil said he would review the situation but reaffirmed that the government is committed to its domestic processing mandate, enforced through Domestic Benchmark Pricing (HPM). The measure, implemented to add value within Indonesia, has led to concerns over its market impact. Image source: antam.com The export ban on bauxite remains in effect, with all sales now required to go through the HPM system. Several lawmakers argue that this pricing mechanism has disrupted market absorption, as buyers are unwilling to purchase bauxite at the government-set prices. The...
Hydro has reportedly announced the first quarter results of 2025 where it has shown positive effects of alumina and all-aluminium prices on its financial performance during the period. However, higher raw material costs, lower extrusion volumes and margins, and lower alumina sales volumes have offset the result to an extent, said Hydro. Here are the key takeaways from Hydro’s Q1 results: Strong upstream results, driven by bauxite and alumina’s record performance Suffered from economic uncertainty and risk of low demand due to tariff Bearish extrusions outlook due to uncertain markets, leading Hydro to adjust portfolio and cut costs Recycling executing on hot metal cost improvements, one-third of 2030 target to be realised in 2025 Financial performance review In the first quarter of 2025,...
China, the leading alumina and aluminium producer, heavily relies on imported bauxite, which surged to 57 per cent in 2024 , owing to declining domestic ore grades and export restrictions from Indonesia. The country is thus prompted towards an urgent search for nearer-sourced supplies. Australia’s Metro Mining has reportedly seized this moment, with an urge for optimising production at its Bauxite Hills Mine in Queensland, and having ramped capacity up to 7 million tonnes per annum in H2 2024 and shipping 184,000 wet metric tonnes (WMT) in Q1 2025 to satisfy Chinese demand. Backed by long-term supply agreements totalling 6.9 million tonnes in 2025 and 6.1 million tonnes in 2026 with major Chinese partners, the company stands at a sub-USD 30 per dry tonne delivered cost target and a...
Metro Mining Limited, an Australia's Queensland-based mining and exploration company has reported the Q1 2025 bauxite shipment, marking a record of 184,000 wet metric tonnes (WMT) generating USD 9 million in the FOB (Free on Board) revenue. Image source: MarineLink For the entire year of 2025, the company has set a target of shipping 6.5 to 7 million WMT bauxite. In order to achieve this, the company is focused on leveraging strategic offtake agreements as well as maintaining an industry-leading cost position despite volatile market conditions. Comparison with 2024 On January 6, 2025, Metro Mining Limited reported that its total capacity for shipping bauxite for the year would be 7 million WMT. As of 2024, the company had shipped a total of 5.7 million WMT bauxite, marking a growth of 24...
Lindian Resources Limited has announced the issuance of 20 million fully paid ordinary shares as part of its 100 per cent acquisition of the Lelouma Bauxite Project in Guinea. This strategic move further strengthens the company’s position in the bauxite market and is expected to provide significant growth opportunities for stakeholders. Image for representational purposes Lindian Resources had previously secured 100 per cent ownership of the Lelouma Bauxite Project in Guinea, West Africa. The acquisition, announced in April 2025, supports Lindian’s strategy to expand its aluminium resource base. The company finalised the deal after issuing 40 million fully paid shares to vendors, per agreed terms. The Lelouma Project hosts a JORC-compliant resource of 900 million tonnes at 45.0 per cent...
With an aim to boost Maryland’s tech infrastructure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been identified as the lead tenant for the ‘Bauxite I’ data centre project on the site of the former Alcoa Eastalco Works near Buckeystown. Image for representational purposes only The project, spearheaded by Rowan Digital Infrastructure, will transform the long-dormant 2,100-acre industrial site into a hub of digital activity. AWS plans to construct four highly equipped single-story buildings, covering nearly 777,000 square feet and delivering approximately 300 megawatts of computing capacity. As for Frederick County, Amazon’s investment will establish Maryland’s first AWS Availability Zone, expanding the company’s cloud footprint beyond its highly congested Northern Virginia operations. The data centre is...
