Sanctions-hit Russian aluminium giant Rusal has started exporting bauxite from the Dian-Dian bauxite deposit in Guinea’s Boké Province. The exports follow the completion of the first stage of development of the bauxite deposit.

With an annual capacity of 3 million tonnes, Dian-Dian is the world's largest bauxite deposit with proven reserves of 564 million tonnes. The company produced 3.1 million tonnes of bauxite in Guinea last year.

The company has built the entire associated infrastructure to serve the mine (in particular, roads and a railway line) for the transportation and storage of ore.

Yakov Itskov, Director of the Alumina Division at Rusal, said:“For the last fifteen years RUSAL has remained one of the largest investors in the economy of Guinea. The mutually beneficial nature of our cooperation with the Government of Guinea, within the framework of the Dian-Dian project, continues to contribute to improving the investment climate in this West African country. The commissioning of the bauxite mine means not only the creation of new jobs and increased employment for the local population, but also new opportunities for the development of the economy of Guinea.”

Rusal owns and operates the Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK) and the Friguia alumina refinery complex in Guinea.