Rusal, a leading aluminum producer, is in advanced negotiations with the government of Sierra Leone regarding a new bauxite mining concession, according to the RIA state news agency. This development was disclosed on Wednesday, citing comments from the West African nation’s mining minister.
“We had several meetings during which they (Rusal) showed a lot of interest in opening a bauxite mining concession in Sierra Leone,” Julius Mattai, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, stated. His remarks were made during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Negotiations are ongoing, Mattai confirmed. “We are here to resume cooperation, to confirm that we are strengthening Russian-African relations in the field of business, especially in the mining industry,” he added.
Rusal, the world’s largest aluminum producer outside China, already operates in neighboring Guinea, highlighting its strategic interest in West Africa.
Bauxite, the primary ore for aluminum production, is essential for industries such as construction and packaging. Recognizing the strategic importance of these reserves, Sierra Leone is actively seeking international partners.
“Sierra Leone has significant reserves of bauxite… and is actively seeking partners in the international market,” Rusal said in a statement to Reuters.
The company added that it is “considering various opportunities to strengthen its raw material base and resource endowment.”
Bauxite is converted into alumina, a raw material to make aluminum used by companies in construction and packaging.
Australia’s alumina export ban and a suspension of operations at a refinery in Ukraine have prompted Rusal to seek more alumina in China and other countries to ensure adequate supply to its Siberian aluminum smelters in 2022.
In 2023 it bought a 30% stake in a Chinese alumina refinery to support the feed coming from its alumina assets in Russia, Ireland, Jamaica and Guinea.
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