Aluminium producer Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has achieved an early milestone in the development of its bauxite mining and export project in Guinea, following the completion of land-raising work in Kamsar.

The work is the first contract to be completed on its $1-billion investment, which includes the development of a mine, rail infrastructure and export facilities in the country.

EGA wholly owns mining development company Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC), which is developing the strategic bauxite mine and alumina refinery development project in West Africa.

The project, said to be the largest greenfield investment in Guinea in four decades, is slated to contribute 10% to Guinea’s gross domestic product and create 4 000 direct and indirect jobs.

Belgian marine construction specialist Jan de Nul Group, which also worked on the construction of the Palm Jumeirah, an artificial archipelago in Dubai, completed the three-month project, including site infill and the elevation of 50 ha of land at the town of Kamsar, on the Guinean coast, for the construction of a rail loop and bulk materials handling facilities.

The site infill and elevation work created jobs for some 100 Guineans at peak, with work completed with zero lost-time injuries.

Marine sand was piped to the site through a specially built 5 km pipeline, significantly reducing the need for truck movements in Kamsar.

“This early milestone shows good progress in our Guinea project, which will boost Guinea’s economy, create value for EGA and secure the supply of natural resources that we need,” says EGA executive VP Yousuf Bastaki.

Bauxite is a mineral which is refined into alumina, the feedstock for aluminium smelters.

Guinea hosts around seven-billion tons of bauxite resources, over one-quarter of the global total. Guinean bauxite is among the highest-quality globally, says EGA.

Its bauxite mine is in the Boké region of north- westGuinea, where it holds a concession comprising more than one-billion tons of bauxite.

Commercial production is expected to begin in 2018 and to grow to 12-million tonnes a year.

A railway extension is under development to connect the mine with the Kamsar port.

More than 200 Guineans are being seconded over the next several years to EGA’s operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to prepare them for roles at GAC.

EGA is also supporting communities near its operations in Guinea, opening community health centres, installing water wells, building schools, providing adult literacy and vocational training, and protecting local fauna and flora.

In a second phase of the Guinea project, EGA will build an alumina refinery in the country.

EGA’s Guinea project will help secure the raw materials required by the UAE’s growing aluminium industry.

EGA’s production makes the UAE the world’s fourth-largest aluminium-producing region. Some 20 companies in the UAE manufacture products using EGA’s aluminium in a sector which already employs around 30 000 people.

Last October, EGA inaugurated a container terminal facility at the Kamsar port for the export of bulk bauxite samples and the import of equipment for its construction project.

On the completion of construction of EGA’s bauxite project, the facility will be handed to the State for third-party use, creating a further boost for the local economy.

EGA, the largest industrial company in the UAE outside oil and gas, is an aluminium conglomerate with interests in bauxite/alumina and primary aluminium smelting and plans for significant local growth and international expansion.

The company is jointly held by Mubadala Development Company, of Abu Dhabi, and the Investment Corporation of Dubai.