Emirates Global Aluminium expects first bauxite export from its mine in Guinea in H2 2019

Emirates Global Aluminium, an aluminium conglomerate equally owned by Mubadala Development Company of Abu Dhabi and Investment Corporation of Dubai, has announced that it expects first export from its bauxite mine in Guinea to take place in the second half of 2019.

The announcement came following the arrival of stacker reclaimer for the project, which would be used to stack bauxite ore and reclaim and place ore on a conveyor system for transport along GAC’s pier to waiting barges.

EGA’s subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) for the last four decades is developing a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in Boké province in the largest greenfield investment in Guinea.

Currently, more than 3,000 people i.e. over 80 per cent Guineans are involved in building the project worth US$1.4 billion, which would expectedly produce 12 million tonnes of bauxite every year.

With this project, EGA intends to expand the upstream aluminium industry, secure natural resources that the UAE’s aluminium industry would require, and create new revenue streams for the company, said the firm itself.

In addition, EGA is building the UAE’s first alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi which will process bauxite into alumina, the feedstock for aluminium smelters.

Abdulla Kalban, EGA’s managing director and CEO, said: “The arrival of this huge piece of equipment in Guinea is another big step forward in the GAC project, bringing us ever closer to producing and exporting our first bauxite ore.”

The 125 metre-long and 25 metre-high stacker reclaimer was delivered to Kamsar port from China in 12 separate modules. Each part will now be carefully moved to GAC’s site by rail, in a process that is expected to take several days.