FACTBOX-Mining projects in Guinea

Aug 5 (Reuters) - Political uncertainties in Guinea have
cast a shadow over huge mining projects planned in the West
African country [ID:nL5636156].

Here are details of some of the mineral-rich country's major
mining operations and planned developments.

BAUXITE

- Guinea boasts around a third of all known reserves of
bauxite, the ore used to make aluminium. Its projected 2008
output of 20.1 million tonnes accounts for more than 10 percent
of world production.

- Producers are as follows:

Capacity 2008 Output

Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee 15.0 mln 13.5 mln

(Guinea State 49 pct, Rio Tinto 22.95

pct, Alcoa 22.95 pct, Dadco 5.10 pct)

Alumina Company of Guinea/Friguia 2.8 mln 2.8 mln

(RUSAL)

Compagnie de Bauxites de Kindia 3.8 mln 3.8 mln

(RUSAL)

TOTAL: 21.6 mln 20.1 mln

* RUSAL's Friguia plant refines bauxite to alumina, with
projected 2008 production of 527,000 tonnes of alumina, which
RUSAL plans to increase to 1.05 million tonnes by 2009. Guinea's
government said in April the Russian company risked losing the
refinery over a contractual dispute. RUSAL said its contracts
were fully legal and it had received no correspondence from the
Guinean government over the matter.

* Alcoa (AA.N) and Rio Tinto (RIO.L) are considering adding
an alumina refinery to their Guinea bauxite joint venture.

* Toronto-listed Global Alumina (GLAu.TO) is building a new
3.3 million T/yr alumina refinery, but has delayed startup by
two years to 2011 and raised its cost forecast 35 percent to
$4.3 billion [ID:nL16384580].

IRON ORE

Rio Tinto plans to create a vast iron ore mine on its
Simandou concession, which it says is the world's biggest
undeveloped iron ore deposit, with an estimated 2.25 billion
tonnes of ore. The $6 billion project would produce 70 million
tonnes of ore in its first year, with the capacity to increase
production later. However, a letter from President Lansana
Conte's office in June queried the validity of the Simandou
concession, and Rio Tinto said last week that another letter
from Conte himself appeared to rescind the company's permit to
mine the Simandou deposit. [ID:nSYD260052]

GOLD

* Anglogold Ashanti (ANGJ.J)(AU.N) operates Guinea's biggest
gold mine at Siguiri in the northeast, where it produced 329,412
ounces in 2007. The Guinean state holds a 15 percent stake.

* Crew Gold CRU.TO operates the LEFA Corridor Gold
Project, which produced 91,684 ounces in 2007.

* West Africa-focused gold miner Semafo (SMF.TO), which is
listed in Toronto, operates the Kiniero mine in eastern Guinea.
It produced 27,100 ounces in 2007.

* Artisanal gold mining is also common in Guinea.

DIAMONDS

* Guinea's diamond reserves are estimated at over 25 million
carats, not including as yet unmapped kimberlite fields.

* Guinea's mines minister recommended in July that the
government cancel the diamond mining licence of the biggest
diamond operator in the country, Ardor, due to lack of activity.
Ardor, 85 percent owned by Toronto-listed Azure Resources Corp
(AZU.V) and 15 percent by Guinea's government, previously
produced between 12,000 and 38,000 carats a year, mines ministry
officials said.

-- Sources: Reuters news, company websites & Reuters Metal
Production Database, available to 3000Xtra users here
(Reporting by Alistair Thomson; editing by Andrew Roche)