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BHP Billiton , the biggest manganese ore supplier, is in the process of studying an operation that may produce 300000 tons of the material a year in Gabon, an adviser to the West African country’s government said.
Melbourne-based BHP, the world’s largest mining company, is considering developing deposits of the steel- making ingredient in an area about 10km from the town of Franceville, said Maurice Ndziba, an adviser to Gabon’s mines minister. The resource could support mining for as long as 50 years and help Gabon meet its target of overtaking SA to become the world’s largest manganese producer, Mr Ndziba said in the capital, Libreville. He also said Gabon would start producing gold this year for the first time since the 1960s. BHP is undertaking a feasibility study of the manganese project, Ruban Yogarajah, a London-based spokesman for the company, said. The Franceville exploration rights were formerly held by Brazil’s Vale, Mr Ndziba said. Eramet and the Gabonese government operate the Comilog manganese mine at Moanda, in the nation’s southeastern region. The venture expects to produce 3,6-million tons of ore this year, it said in February. |
