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{{Short description|Guinean mining company}}
[[File:LOGO-CBG-FBlanc.png|thumb]]
'''Compagnie des bauxites de Guinée''' (CBG) is a [[Guinean]] mining company. Since 1963 it has extracted bauxite from the notable mine in [[Sangarédi]], in [[Boké Region]] in [[Guinea]]. It is 49
Guinea is the world's 5th largest producer of [[
==Bauxite mining in Guinea==
{{main|Mining industry of Guinea}}
[[Guinea]] possesses a third of the best bauxite reserves in the world, or about 20 billion tons, with a high content (45-62 %) of [[alumina]] and a low silica content (0.8-2 %). Despite being ranked second after [[Australia]] in terms of production, it was, in 1993, the largest exporter in the world, having benefited from the relocation in the world aluminum industry in the 1970s; After global production tripled between 1950 and 1960, it doubled again in the 70s, which saw a strong consolidation around six companies: ([[Alcan]], [[Alcoa]], [[Reynolds Metals Company|Reynolds]], [[Kaiser]], [[Pechiney|Pechiney Ugine Kuhlman]] and [[Alusuisse]]) as well as a strong vertical integration, as a result of which, in 1979 the members of the [[International Association of Bauxite Producing Countries]] supplied 75% of the world's bauxite, while only providing 4.5% of the world's Aluminum. High-Value added segments in the global aluminum value-chain (E.g. Alumina refining and smelting) have remained mostly in developed countries, meaning that despite Guinea's large ore deposits, most of the money made from that ore goes to the wealthy nations where industrial plants are located.
==History==
[[File:Usine de midi.jpg|thumb|left|The first plant of Bauxites du Midi in Guinea.]]
[[File:CBG a Kamsar Guinée 39.jpg|left|thumb|CBG in [[Kamsar]].]]
Early on, the country attracted prospectors. [[Bauxites du Midi]], founded in 1912 in Paris, began mining operations on {{interlanguage link|Île Tamara|fr}} in 1937, preceded by a prospecting voyage in 1936-1937<ref name="gouv">''L'avenir de la Guinée Française'', par Roland Pré, Gouverneur du Territoire , 1951, Éditions guinéennes. Conakry. 1951 [http://www.webguinee.net/bibliotheque/general/rPre/problInd.html]</ref>
On July 24, 1948, 20 mining exploration permits were awarded to the company.<ref name="gouv"/> They discovered that the bauxite deposits of guinea consisted of surface deposits which are entirely exploitable using mining pits and heavy vehicles.<ref name="gouv"/> [[Bauxites du Midi]] partnered with the Canadian company [[Aluminum Laboratories
In 1948 and 1950 the Guinean bauxite from the [[Îles de Los]] was shipped in small quantities to the Aluminum plants of [[Alcan]] in [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean]] in Québec, but in November 1966, that deposit was depleted, as was expected, despite nationalization.
Under the leadership of Pierre Jochyms, the planning of the utilization of significant deposits of bauxite (in Kassa, Boké and [[Fria]]), Iron ore (on the [[Kaloum]] peninsula and the Nimba-Simandou island chain) gold and diamonds was begun. The exceptional hydroelectric potential of the Konkouré watershed had already been identified, and two large dams were being researched (Grandes Chutes and Souapiti)<ref>{{
CBG began its first excavations in January, 1955, then suspended them for one year. Pechiney Ugine began its major project in 1957, on the site of [[Fria]].<ref name="Bonnie">« Le secteur de la bauxite en République de Guinée : ajustement structurel et restructuration internationale de l'industrie de l'aluminium », par Bonnie Campbell, dans la revue ''Tiers-Monde'' en 1993 [http://www.persee.fr/doc/tiers_0040-7356_1993_num_34_133_4833]</ref> Studies were done on the hydroelectric project in [[Konkouré]], to the east of [[Fria]], but following a referendum on September 28, 1958, they were kept secret by the colonial authorities.<ref name="Bonnie" />
In
Bauxite exports began in 1973.<ref name="origine cbg">{{
In 1965, the Boké Improvement Office (OFAB) was created to construct and manage CBG's infrastructures.<ref name="origine cbg"/>
In 1967, the participation of Harvey Aluminum of Delaware was divided amongst several players in the mining sector: [[Alcan]] took 33%, [[Alcoa]] 27%, [[Martin Marietta]] 14%, [[Péchiney]] 10%, and [[Edison (company)|Edison-Montecani]] 6%.<ref name="origine cbg"/> At the end of the 70's, Fria exported more than 600,000 tons of alumina annually,<ref name="Bonnie" /> of which a part went to the Pechiney's facilities at [[Edéa|Edea]] in Cameroon,<ref name="Bonnie" /> with two large foreign investors: [[Noranda (mining company)|Noranda]] (Canada) 38.5% and Pechiney Ugine Kuhlman (France) 36.5%.<ref name="Bonnie" />
Simultaneously, the site of Débélé in the region of the Kindia mine was made operational before 1974<ref name="Bonnie" /> after an agreement in November 1969, by a joint project of the Soviet Union and the Guinean government, which established the price of ore and announced that the Guinean state is fully the proprietor of said capital, the Soviet Union having assured the purchase of 90% of the ore. Exports passed from 2 million tons in 1974, to more than 3 million in 1988.<ref name="Bonnie" />
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At the Boké site, the quantity of exports shifted from around 5 million tons in 1975 to 11 million in 1990.<ref name="Bonnie" />
In November, 2012, CBG signed a historic agreement with the [[Mubadala Investment Company]] to supply
In December, 2013, Namory Conde, then regional director of [[BHP|BHP Billiton]], was named director-general of CBG <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kalenews.org/index.php/2013-08-08-21-15-11/441-la-cbg-compagnie-des-bauxites-de-guinee-a-un-nouveau-directeur-general|title=La cbg compagnie des bauxites de guinee a un nouveau directeur general|website=Kalenews.org}}</ref>
==Activity==
[[File:Bauxite with unweathered rock core. C 021.jpg|thumb|Bauxite in a rock, Kassa, Guinea]]
The ore, reputed to be of excellent quality due to its 60% [[alumina]] content,<ref>{{
If CBG is vital for the regional and national economy of the nation, it is also accused of being responsible for numerous instances of pollution - toxic dusts and the dumping of
CBG exploits the mines of [[Sangarédi]], of Bidikoum, of Silidara, and those of N’Dangara.<ref name="histoire indus"/> The bauxite is intended for exportation, principally to North America, Europe and China.
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{{reflist}}
{{Portal|Guinea}}
[[Category:Aluminium companies of Guinea]]
[[Category:Mining companies of Guinea]]
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