Ann: 2021 Offtake update, page-29

https://www. a f r .com/companies/mining/miners-keep-digging-as-guinea-coup-ignites-aluminium-prices-20210907-p58pf1

Miners keep digging as Guinea coup ignites aluminium prices

Mining companies in Guinea have been permitted to work through the curfews imposed by military coup leaders whose overthrow of President Alpha Conde sparked a fresh rally in aluminium prices. Guinea will provide about half of the bauxite that is processed by Chinese alumina refineries into aluminium this year. Aluminium hit a 10- year high on Monday on fears the coup could disrupt the supply of raw materials.

But bauxite industry expert Alan Clark said his communication with people in Guinea combined with vessel tracking data had convinced him that the bauxite industry had not been significantly disrupted by the coup. “We track all bauxite vessels into and out of Guinea and from what we can ascertain it is business as usual, although it is the wet season right now so there is less activity generally,” he said. “We can see the bauxite industry in Guinea is still moving. They are barging and transhipping, we can see barges moving, we can see trans-shippers operating, and we can see bulk vessels coming into and out of the region.” “So we have no reason to believe there is any significant disruption or potential for it in the short term. It looks like business as usual for now.”