Indian operators to restart CAL bauxite mining project: Sources said

As confirmed by some trusted sources, Indian operators are going to relaunch the long-awaited Cameroon Alumina Limited’s (CAL) bauxite mining project. It’s been over years now this plan was proposed to set up a Greenfield project involving bauxite mining, a 3 million-tonnes-per-annum alumina refinery, and associated infrastructure, backed on the bauxite deposits of Ngaoundal and Minim-Martap in the Adamawa region of Cameroon.

However, not much detail on this update is known yet. According to the sources, this topic was discussed on May 30, 2018, during the audience granted to Ravi Kumar, the Indian consul in Cameroon, by Ernest Gbwaboubou. During the meeting, the consul expressed that its partners Indostand Aluminium, Dubai Aluminium and Hydromines, the Indian company Hindalco were interested in the project.

Cameroon Alumina Limited had found a bauxite reserve of 550 million tonnes in 2010, located at Ngaoundal, in Adamaoua. They requested for a mining permit to start operations in 2013 and proposed to produce 4.5 to 9 million tonnes of bauxite every year. The estimated processing cost then was US$6 billion. Many other facilities were also planned by this project like red mud disposal facilities, township, railway and port facilities, and steam and power plant.

Around 7000 direct and 6000-8000 indirect jobs were expected during the peak of the execution phase, and around 1500-2000 direct and 4000 indirect during the operation phase.