African mining: Power costs test local mineral-processing ambitions
[SMM Flash] African countries' plan to expand domestic mineral processing faces a shortage of affordable, reliable electricity. A Guinea government adviser at Africa Mining Week said the country would need 5,000–10,000 MW to support its industrialisation ambitions, compared with about 1,000 MW currently generated. Those figures describe a stated requirement, not capacity already built.
Power is one of several conditions investors identified alongside secure mineral feedstock, stable policy, financing and buyers. The reporting helps explain why proposed refineries and smelters may take longer to develop than policy announcements suggest.