of the producing areas of the former
U.S.S.R. have been disaggregated by
respective republic. The data correspond
to the manganese contents of ore and/or
concentrates capable of being utilized, as
in feed to a smelter. Rated capacity is
defined as the maximum quantity of
product that can be produced in a period
of time on a normally sustainable, long-
term operating rate.
Reserpes.-Only a few of the world's
many manganese concentrations have
enough economic significance to be
classed as reserves;24 no domestic
deposits qualify.' World reserves of
manganese, generally on the same basis
as capacity, are given in table 12 with no
distinction  between  ore  type  or
application. The data in table 12 are
exclusive of perhaps 1% to 2% of total
known reserves. These are in nonlisted
countries having a similar proportion of
world production, as can be seen from
table 13. Russia, whose reserve base can
be estimated as intermediate between that
of Georgia and Kazakhstan, is not listed
in table 12 because no manganese ore
was produced there for an extended
period prior to dissolution of the former
U.S.S.R.
Austrldia.-Manganese ore output
rose by nearly two-thirds to the highest
level since 1990 at operations of the
Groote Eylandt Mine (Northern
Territory) of the GEMCO subsidiary of
BHP. The total of GEMCO's shipments
to foreign and domestic destinations
during calendar 1993 were reported to
have increased to 1,590,000 tons for an
advance comparable to that of mine
production.23
In September, BHP Minerals and
Norway's Elkem announced, following
approvals by the Australian and
Norwegian Governments, that a strategic
business alliance had been made between
GEMCO and Elkem's manganese
smelting operations. The two parties had
signed a letter of intent in July 1992 and
a contractual agreement in April 1993.
Under the agreement, Groote Eylandt
Manganese Sales Pty. Ltd. (GEMS)


would supply ore from GEMCO to
Elkem's two Norwegian manganese
smelters and to the Marietta, OH, plant
of Elkem Metals. Ownership of GEMS
was 51% by BHP and 49% by Elkem.
The two Norwegian smelters, Elkem PEA
and Elkem Sauda, were transferred to a
new holding company, Elkem Mangan
KS, whose ownership became 51% by
Elkem and 49 % by BHP.
In March, BHP's manganese smelting
subsidiary,   Tasmanian    Electro
Metallurgical Co. Pty. Ltd. (TEMCO),
completed conversion of its ferrosilicon
furnace to production of silicomanganese.
BHP stated that this raised annual
capacity for manganese ferroalloys of its
Bell Bay plant in northern Tasmania to
261,000    tons   (ferromanganese
equivalent), an increase of 81,000 tons.
Part of the increased capability was
oriented toward marketing of
silicomanganese in Japan, to which BHP
traditionally has shipped only ore.
Annual production of manganese ore
in Western Australia continued to be at
the level of 300,000 tons.  Portman
Mining began development of the Green
Snake deposit at its operations in the
Woodie Woodie area of the Pilbara
Manganese Province.   Production of
relatively high-grade ore with low silica
and phosphorus contents from this newly
discovered deposit was to supplant that
from the Cracker deposit.
Brazil.-Shipments of manganese ore
by ICOMI from operations at Serra do
Navio, Amapd Territory, through Porto
de Santana on the Amazon River rose
slightly to 502,500 tons. Of this total,
297,200 tons was shipped to European
countries and 205,300 tons to South
American    destinations,  including
Brazilian  consumers.27   ICOMI' s
shipments  advanced  for  the  third
successive year to reach the highest total
since 1990.
The Paulista group of companies,
which collectively is among the world's
largest producers of manganese
ferroalloys, expanded its manganese
ferroalloy production capabilities but ran
into financial difficulties.  Two new
electric furnaces were brought on-stream


late in the year at Eletrosiderugica
Brasileira S.A. (Sibra), which was
acquired by Paulista in 1988. This was
reported to have raised Sibra's annual
capacity for manganese ferroalloys to
more than 200,000 tons and that of the
Paulista group to more than 400,000 tons.
However, in December, both Paulista and
Sibra applied to the courts for protection
under Brazilian bankruptcy law.
Brazil's production of manganese
ferroalloys in 1992 surpassed previous
record levels set in 1991 for total quantity
and   quantity  of  silicomanganese
produced, 479,000 and 300,000 tons,
respectively.   The   corresponding
percentage increases were about 9% and
10 %.    Production  of high-carbon
ferromanganese was 152,000 tons. At
26,700 tons, production of medium- and
low-carbon ferromanganese also set a
record slightly above the 1989 production
and showed an increase of nearly 40%
above the 1991 production. These data
were not available when the Manganese
Annual Report for 1992 was prepared.
They are now included in a new feature
that has been added to this annual report,
a table of world production of manganese
ferroalloys, table 14.
Burkina Faso.-The Tambao Mine
was inaugurated in May, following which
trial shipments of about 5,000-ton lots
were made to test commercial viability of
this high-grade resource. The deposit, in
northeastern Burkina Faso near its
borders with Mali and Niger, has been
known for more than three decades but
left undeveloped because of the lack of
transport infrastructure.  Initial output
was being trucked about 250 kilometers
to the nearest railhead at Kaya, which is
intermediate between the mine and
Ouagadougou, and then railed more than
an additional 1,100 kilometers to the CMte
d'Ivoire port of Abidjan.  InterStar
Mining Group Inc. of Canada, the
operator, targeted production to begin at
the annual rate of about 100,000 tons.
Rated reserves reportedly were about 15
million tons of metallurgical-grade ore
containing more than 51 % manganese.
An advantage of the Tambao ore is its
relatively high manganese content. A


MANGANESE-1993












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