GAC’s 2Mt bauxite pile-up in Guinea: What built it, what’s blocking it, and what could break the deadlock

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.

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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 aluminium production, to third-party customers worldwide. In 2024 alone, the company exported 10.8 million tonnes of bauxite, a significant volume contributing to both EGA’s own needs and the global aluminium value chain. A portion of this bauxite also supplies EGA’s Al Taweelah alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi.

GAC, in 2024, has extended beyond raw ore exports. The mining entity envisages the construction of a domestic alumina refinery in Guinea, an essential step towards in-country beneficiation and value addition. Backed by a robust investment of approximately USD 1.4 billion, GAC is developing a region rich with around 400 million tonnes of bauxite resources, which is planned to be tapped by 2040. It also holds the distinction of being the first operation in Guinea certified to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Performance Standard.

What happens if GAC can’t export bauxite, even with a mining licence?

If Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC), the wholly owned bauxite mining subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), manages to recover its mining licence but the Guinean government maintains the current export ban, the company will face a critical operational deadlock. GAC’s entire business model, from logistics to revenue, is built around exporting bauxite to international buyers. Without the ability to do so, GAC’s operations would be effectively paralysed.

• Stockpiling the bauxite: a short-term band-aid

The most immediate option GAC could pursue is to continue mining and temporarily stockpile the bauxite. However, this is only a stopgap measure and hardly viable in the medium to long term. GAC produces up to 12 million tonnes of bauxite annually. Storing even a fraction of that volume would quickly exhaust available space and infrastructure. Moreover, Guinea’s tropical climate makes open-air storage risky, with the potential for more degradation due to humidity and rainfall.

• Fast-track a domestic alumina refinery: ambitious, but too late

One of the key reasons behind the Guinean government’s hardline stance has been GAC’s delayed progress on building an in-country alumina refinery. The government is pushing for domestic value addition, and GAC has committed, at least on paper, to building a 2 million TPA alumina plant. But the reality is sobering: constructing a greenfield refinery takes 4-6 years and upwards of a billion dollars in capital. Even if GAC breaks ground today, it won’t solve the immediate crisis caused by the export ban. The refinery could be the future, but it can’t fix the present.