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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The developer of high-technology businesses in the world of mining and minerals exploration, ABx Group has appointed Dr Mark Cooksey, the CEO of Alcore, its subsidiary, as the Chief Executive of the parent company. Following ABx prolonged leader Ian Levy decided to stand down from his present designation from 1 st February 2022. Dr Mark Cooksey earlier held the CEO position of Alcore, an ABx company that has been developing an aluminium fluoride refinery in NSW. Dr Cooksey initially began his professional career with aluminium smelting at Comalco/Rio Tinto Alcan before setting his feet for a long-term tenure at the CSIRO, where he was associated with new process technologies in the minerals and metals industries, comprising bauxite processing and rare earth element technologies. Ian Levy,...
With only a few days till the Union Budget 2022, there has been an outpouring of proposals to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman from all corners, notably regarding Railways, which is regarded as India's "lifeline." The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has requested that bauxite be reclassified from Class 160 to Class 145 and alumina be reclassified from Class 180 to Class 170 in the Railways tariff structure for Budget 2022. The re-grouping of bauxite and lower freight rates would stimulate increased freight quantities and enable the Indian Railways to generate more income. Aluminium and its raw materials can be moved from category "D" to category "C" of the Railways Preferential Traffic Order to support simplified logistical operations and raw material supply chains. The...
The Jamaican Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke has manifested that the govt. has collected $2 billion from the bauxite levy in late 2021. On 18 th January 2022, while countering the questions put forward by Phillip Paulwell, the mining spokesperson of the opposition in the House of Representatives, the minister advocated that the figure of the levy may have been overlooked as a line item in the Government's revenue package. “The levy payments were due to the efforts of the former Minister of Mining Robert Montague, who was removed from that ministry in the recent Cabinet shuffle”, said Dr Nigel Clarke. “It was due to the good work of that former minister that we collected $2 billion in bauxite levy in the last few months.” Robert Montague, presently the Ministry...
The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources of Akufo-Addo govt. in Ghana, George Mireku Duker, who is in charge of the mining industry in the country, has delivered relief to the workers of Ghana Company (GBC) from the dismay of feasible collapse. He emphasized that the enterprise endeavoured by the government would guarantee the long-term survival of the Company. He said, “The future of the company had been a subject of discussion in the media in recent times after the Company’s major shareholder pulled out.” “The exit of the investor created uncertainties, with some workers threatening to embark on a demonstration if the government failed to come to their aid.” However, the Ministry, in a succession of meetings with the ‘Ghana Mines Workers Union’ and other key stakeholders...
The localities of Tamita and Lisso in the prefecture of Boffa, Guinea has witnessed that the communities are impacted by the exploitation of bauxite by the Chinese company Chalco, as it blockaded access from the port to the conveyor remain camped in their position. The inhabitants did not aspire to change their minds until the company assures the claims raised. Colonel Mamadou Ciré Bah strived to bring both the parties close together. As per our information, during the negotiations, the representatives of the communities had promised to lift the blockades as of 10 am on 13 th January. However, the observation reveals the opposite on the spot. A member of these community representatives confided that at no time did they promise the prefect to lift the barricades. “We did not promise to...
The President of the nation on South America’s North Atlantic coast, Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali, had a dialogue with his neighbouring country Brazil in regards to the oil and gas industry and bauxite mining before the visit of Jair Bolsonaro, the President of the largest country in South America, which is slated towards the later part of this month. On 10 th January 2022, the President of the two bordering countries held a teleconference, according to the official statement released by the office of the Guyanese President. Dr Ali highlighted that Guyana desires to have a firm strategic partnership with its Portuguese-speaking neighbours during the conference while focusing on several key points. As per the statement released by the office of the President, the two Presidents held a...
Indonesian President, Joko Widodo stated that the government will continue to enforce the restriction on the export of raw mining commodities. “After nickel, [we will ban] bauxite export. The regulation is being finalized. We are preparing a smelter,” said Joko Widodo. Following bauxite, the President claimed that the administration tried to prohibit tin and copper shipments. Through the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial Regulation No. 11 of 2019, signed by then-Minister Ignasius Jonan on August 28, 2019, the government restricted nickel ore exports on January 1, 2020. “It's already been 19 months of the surplus trade balance. Where did that come from? From stopping nickel exports. The figure was recorded at US$20.8 billion. In the past, the nickel ore exports were at least US$2...
In December 2021, Robert Montague, the Transport and Mining Minister of Jamaica formally commissioned Belle Tierre Reservoir in St. Ann into the service. The waterbody was built by Noranda Jamaica Bauxite Partners, at an estimated cost of US$800,000. The rainwater harvesting facility is located on Noranda’s bauxite mining lands and can stock around 17 million gallons of water that will be used to wet the roads and confront the dust problem. The Jamaican minister highlighted that the adjoining society that has lamenting for years will now have to grapple with a lesser amount of dust due to an escalation of water sprinkling on the roads, as the company will be using around 70,000 gallons of water per day to keep the roads wet. He further added, “So, it is a major investment by Noranda in...
The opposition party of the Caribbean island nation, Jamaica’s People National Party said that they are dismayed with the decision of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) to accord a permit for the bauxite mining of lands that are part of the Cockpit Country in St Ann via Special Mining Lease (SML) 173. On 3 rd January 2022, the decision was publicized and Noranda Bauxite was granted permission to exploit 1,324 hectares of the lands in the protected area of St Ann. However, it was notified that the land allocation is much smaller than the 8,335 hectares for which Noranda had applied for exploitation. Sophia Frazer-Binns, the Spokesperson on Land, Environment and Climate Change, said, “Although the permit is for a smaller parcel of land than requested, we believe the...
On Monday, January 3, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Peter Knight announced the decision of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) in a press conference. The announcement revealed that Noranda Bauxite Company has finally received permission to mine 1,300 hectares of land near the Cockpit Country Borders. Following public outrage, the allowable mining area under SML 173 was lowered, according to Mr Knight. He said the NRCA reached a final decision at an unplanned meeting on December 31, 2021, after deliberating for two full meetings and taking into account all of the difficulties and concerns. Mr Knight explained that the NRCA requires the agency to use GPS coordinates to define the boundaries of the limited geographical...
Carlos Pinglo has been named Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of First Bauxite Corporation ("First Bauxite" or the "Company"), succeeding Ian Fodie. Mr Fodie's services are appreciated, and the Company wishes him well in his future pursuits. First Bauxite is a Canadian mineral exploration and development firm focused on bauxite discoveries in Guyana, South America. The Company's headquarters are in Toronto, and it is led by experienced geoscientists and business development experts who have worked in the exploration and mining industry for a variety of mineral commodities all over the world. Mr. Pinglo will continue to serve as Eurotin Inc.'s Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary. He is an economist with over 20 years of senior management experience in corporate...
Noranda Bauxite, Atlantic Alumina and Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited made public the launch of Operation Discovery Tree, a project with a purpose to proliferate the forested areas in the parish of St. Ann. Operation Discovery Tree will incorporate the development of a tree nursery on selected lands retrieved from bauxite mining near its Water Valley operations, as well as the strategic replanting of trees grown at the nursery to develop forestry areas in the present unforested parts of the region. However, Operation Discovery Tree was commenced to supplement Jamaica’s tree nursery capabilities and to enlarge the positive environmental impacts from Noranda’s ongoing tree planting, greenhouses, aquaponics, and other reclamation initiatives. Noranda Bauxite aspires to break ground on this...
Paul Lennon, the Chairman of the board at Australian Bauxite Limited, claims that a Tasmanian miner pursuing high technology has developed two "major prospects with tremendous upside potential in the near future." Shareholders of Australian Bauxite Limited voted decisively on Thursday to alter the company's name to ABx Group Limited, reflecting the company's diversification away from its most well-known operation, bauxite mining. Mr. Lennon, the former Tasmanian Labor premier, informed shareholders on mining intentions as well as the activities of the two high-tech businesses. These include the finding of rare earth elements in its Tasmanian bauxite tenements and the development of technology by its 87 percent-owned subsidiary Alcore to generate profitable aluminium fluoride for use in...
China’s demand for imported bauxite is expected to rise by about 20 per cent year-on-year in 2022, backed on increasing demand for the raw material from domestic alumina producers, pointed out the state-owned research agency Antaike. China’s alumina producing capacity using imported bauxite is likely to reach a total of 47.3 million tonnes per year in 2022; thus, the demand for imported bauxite is estimated to touch 132 million tonnes. Demand for bauxite in China has been growing at a rapid pace over the past few years as the country’s alumina industry is seeing expansions of capacity. By the end of October 2021, China’s year-to-date bauxite imports reached 91.06 million tonnes, showed customs data. China’s alumina capacity has already reached 90.15 million tonnes in 2021, showed Antaike...
The globally diversified mining and metals company producing bauxite, alumina, aluminium among other commodities, South32 with its headquartered in Perth, Western Australia secured $1.4 billion (R22.5bn) in commitments from financiers until 2026, manifesting its new credit facility as a sustainability-linked loan. The credit facility, which has a course of action for a two-year extension, recapitalizes the group’s enduring undrawn revolving credit facility that is due for a lapse in 2023. The miner stated that the facility has been entrenched as a sustainability-linked loan with proceedings linked to allegiance for scaling down emissions and advancement in energy and water use efficiency. Katie Tovich, the CFO of South32 said: “Sustainable development is at the heart of our purpose and...
Compared to the aluminium smelters in West Asia, which benefit from low-cost natural gas, and those in Europe and Canada which benefit from hydropower, India's white metal production is solely dependent on significantly more expensive coal-fired energy. However, this country has a distinct edge over most other manufacturing centres in terms of the availability of high-alumina bauxite deposits. In 2020, China, the world's greatest producer of aluminium, will account for 56.67 percent of the worldwide output of 64.76 million tonnes, while its consumption of 37.77 million tonnes will account for 60.14 percent of the global total of 62.80 million tonnes. China has to import massive amounts of bauxite and smelter feedstock alumina to keep its massive aluminium sector afloat. Even though last...
This week the bauxite industry was in the news for a limited number of incidents. To begin with, Guinea Alumina Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), announced on December 6, 2021 that it had awarded a critical mining contract to a Guinean firm, GPC, as the metallurgical-grade bauxite export company aspires to expand its contribution to the Republic of Guinea's economy. This was followed by the news of, Canyon Resources Limited, an Australian securities exchange-listed company, announced that it has attended four formal sessions with the Government of Cameroon to negotiate terms of the Mining Convention for the Minim Martap Bauxite Project in Cameroon's Adamoua Region through its wholly-owned Cameroon subsidiary Camalco Cameroon SA. On 6th December...
The United States imported 881,000 tonnes of crude and dried bauxite in the third quarter of 2021 (ended September 30), which reflected a hike of 147,000 tonnes or 20.03 per cent quarter-on-quarter, found the latest date of the US Census Bureau. In the second quarter of the year, the United States imported 734,000 tonnes of crude and dried bauxite, which was also up from the previous quarter. On a year-on-year calculation, the United States’ crude and dried bauxite imports in Q3 2021 edged 11.66 per cent higher than 789,000 tonnes. The total imports of crude and dried bauxite by the United States from January to September came in at 2.310 million tonnes, however, down by 3.75 per cent from 2.4 million tonnes during the same period last year. Jamaica remained the prime exporter of the ore,...
