UC Rusal reported it has completed the first stage of development of the Dian-Dian bauxite deposit in Guinea and it is now exporting ore. During this first stage, Rusal commissioned a mine with a production capacity of 3 million metric tons per year (mt/y) of bauxite and has built the associated infrastructure to support the transportation and storage of ore. The opening ceremony was attended by President of Guinea Alpha Conde, Russian Ambassador to Guinea Alexander Bregadze, as well as the management of RUSAL.
“For the last 15 years, RUSAL has remained one of the largest investors in the economy of Guinea,” said Yakov Itskov, director of the Alumina Division at UC RUSAL. “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 the development rights for Dian-Dian, which is the world’s largest bauxite deposit with proven reserves of 564 million mt. In 2015, within the framework of the investment project, RUSAL signed a multilateral agreement covering the use of the existing railway infrastructure in the province of Boké, where the Dian-Dian mine is located. This was the first such agreement between RUSAL and the government of Guinea, with the aim of fostering a spirit of collaboration between business and the state in order to achieve the full industrial and socio-economic potential of the country.
RUSAL has been operating in the Republic of Guinea since 2001, and is one of the largest foreign investors in the country. In Guinea, RUSAL owns and operates the Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK) as well as the Friguia alumina refinery complex.
