France’s bauxite import to increase 10% in 2019 after remaining flat last year

The global bauxite mining market is estimated to have been valued at US$ 12,423.8 million in 2018 and is projected to grow at a value CAGR of 6.6% and reach a value of US$ 20,661.9 million by the end of 2026. Moreover, the global market is anticipated to create total incremental dollar opportunity of US$ 8,238.1 million between 2018 & 2026.

With the global bauxite mining market enhancement, France’s import of the aluminium ore is estimated to grow this year, according to the global export-import market. In 2019, France is likely to import around 1.6 million tonnes of bauxite, up 10.34 per cent from 1.45 million tonnes in 2018. The import amount last year had remained almost flat compared to 2017 when France had imported around 1.48 million tonnes of bauxite. In 2016, France’s bauxite import had pegged at 0.92 million tonnes, down 61 per cent from 2017. This indicates that France had been recording a steady growth in bauxite import over the past four years.

Along with the growth in import volume, France’s bauxite import cost had been growing as well over the years. In 2019, the country’s bauxite import cost is estimated to increase from US$73 million in 2018 to US$77 million, up 5.47 per cent. In 2017, the import cost was at US$62 million and this indicates that despite the import volume continued to remain flat in 2018, the import cost increased 18 per cent year-on-year. In 2016, the cost was at US$41 million, which also indicates that 2017 also saw a year on year growth in France’s bauxite import cost.

France imports this significant amount of bauxite every year for feeding its domestic alumina refineries. Alteo is one of the leading producers of non-metallurgical alumina in France. The company has three alumina refineries in France: the alumina refinery in Gardanne, a white fused alumina facility in La Bâthie and a brown fused alumina plant in Beyrède.