SMB spends US $1 billion to open bauxite railway in Guinea

The West African country of Guinea will become a bigger player in the global bauxite trade as Societe Miniere de Boke has begun transporting ore to the coast via its new $1 billion railway.

The 84-mile railway will transport bauxite from the Santou II and Houda blocs of SMB to the port of Dapilon. Mining Minister Abdoulaye Magassouba said at the opening ceremony last week that SMB would own the railway within the next 30 years and then return it to the state in 2054.

Sun Xiushun of SMB said that the opening of the new railway will bring several major advantages, including that with the commissioning of Santou-Dapilon Railway, the company will build a bauxite industry chain with more stable production capacity, more ecological operation and more sustainable development.

The new bauxite railway consists of 24 locomotives and more than 1400 trucks. Magassouba pointed out that in the future, other bauxite mining organizations could easily join in the use of the railway.

The Guinean state exported 82.4 million tons of bauxite last year. SMB accounts for 40% of the total. The company is a joint venture between Winning Shipping Ltd., UMS International, Shandong Weiqiao and the Guinean government. The railway project is part of a US $3 billion investment in Guinean bauxite resources. It has also invested in alumina refineries and various bauxite mining licenses.