China's State Power Investment Corp (SPIC) is planning to commence construction of what it claims to be Guinea's largest alumina processing plant this year, reported Bloomberg.
Expected to be completed by the end of 2027, the new refinery will be equipped to have an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of alumina.
The plant will eclipse the current largest, United Co. Rusal Friguia's refinery, in terms of capacity. The refinery currently produces at least 600,000 tonnes a year.
SPIC's project also includes the construction of a 250MW power plant, of which 100MW will be supplied to the national grid.
Guinea's military government has been actively encouraging mining companies to develop on-site processing facilities. In 2023, SPIC exported 3.14 million tonnes of bauxite.
In June 2024, Guinea's mines ministry was cited by Reuters as saying that Guinea signed a nonbinding agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium's subsidiary to build the country's second alumina refinery.
The agreement involves Guinea Alumina Corporation constructing a refinery with initial production projected at 1.2 million tonnes per year.
Planned to be built in western Guinea by September 2026, the refinery will be equipped to have a capacity of two million tonnes.
In a related development in the country, Arrow Minerals signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Baosteel Resources in October 2024.
This nonbinding MoU, concerning Arrow's Simandou North iron project, outlines the path towards a definitive mine gate sale agreement and covers confidentiality, disclosure, costs, and logistics.
Located at the northern end of the Simandou Range and covered by exploration permit 22967, the Simandou North iron project has an estimated exploration target of between 281 and 716 million tonnes at 33-46% of iron.
