Business News
Venezuelan state bauxite and alumina company imports another 800,000t of bauxite from Guyana
April 15, 2011
Venezuelan state bauxite and alumina company Bauxilum is expecting the first shipload of bauxite, part of the 800,000t of ore that it is importing from Guyana and Brazil, to arrive on April 20, an aluminum industry union leader told BNamericas.
Business News
Venezuelan state bauxite and alumina company imports another 800,000t of bauxite from Guyana
April 15, 2011
Venezuelan state bauxite and alumina company Bauxilum is expecting the first shipload of bauxite, part of the 800,000t of ore that it is importing from Guyana and Brazil, to arrive on April 20, an aluminum industry union leader told BNamericas.
“The Los Pijiguaos mine produced below its levels and couldn’t send Bauxilum the bauxite it needs,” the union leader said.
This is the third time the company has imported bauxite. In February it imported 900,000t that it purchased in Indonesia and about 300,000t were imported in 2010.
The low output is due to lack of investments in the mine’s machinery and equipment, the union leader said.
Meanwhile, workers at Norpro de Venezuela have stopped supplying bauxite to Bauxilum as a way to protest for higher pay and better working conditions, the union leader said.
Nevertheless, a Bauxilum executive told BNamericas that the supply of bauxite from Norpro is normal and they are currently waiting for conditions to improve on the Orinoco river in order to transport the ore from Los Pijiguaos to the plant in the Matanzas industrial area.
Norpro produces proppants, a material that is used in the oil industry to improve the operation of wells. To produce the material, the company uses bauxite that was provided by Bauxilum, but given the limited availability of bauxite, Norpro – which had ore in storage – is supplying it to Bauxilum.
State heavy industry holding CVG controls 99% of Bauxilum and the remainder is owned by Swiss group Alusuisse Lonza Holding.
