354 MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1978-79 
Cardane (Bouches-du-Rhône), had a capaci- develop new copper resources
in French 
ty of750 000 tons per year territory to promote cooperation between 
 burmg 1979, Aluminium Pechiney France and developing mining countries 
announced plans to increase its aluminum and to encourage greater use of
copper 
smelting capacity in France by 82,000 tons, scrap. 
to reach a total of 489,000 tons by 1988, at  Gold.—Exploration
for
gold was con 
an estimated cost of $94 million The largest ducted by the BRGM and Peñarroya
in the 
increase was planned for the St Jean de region of Saint Yrieix (Haute Vienne)
Re 
Maurienne installation which will reach a suits were described as encouraging
but no 
capacity of 120 000 tons or 55% more than details were made public 
the present  The Salsigne mine (Aude) owned by So- 
 Ten aluminum smelters were operational ciete des Mines et Produits Chimiques
de 
in 1978-19 all owned by PUK The largest Salsigne produced gold from a complex
ore 
located at Nogueres had a capacity of also containing silver copper bismuth
and 
115,000 tons of aluminum per year France arsenic matte was shipped abroad
for re 
was a net importer of bauxite and alumi- covery of the metals. 
num and a net exporter of alumina  Iron and Steel —The French Govern

 Packaging consumed 27% of total alumi ment s plan to save the steel industry
and 
num consumption in France building con the related merger of Chiers-Chatillon
with 
struction followed with 18% Usinor the largest producer of steel in 
 Antimony —BRGM accelerated explora France (capacity 79 million
tons
per year) 
tion of antimony deposits at Quimper and were the major events during the
years of 
- 1. a' i~ A 1Q'IQ A 1G'~G 9, an 
~ ~uc~e ~an , uring an . 
 11 d ring , e r n ir 
~t~rves a eposi ar ma a industry had a near disastrous year AU large production
was not to ue expeceu inthcators were down and the threat of 
 There was no mine production of antimo- bankruptcy became very real as losses
of ny, but the Societe Nouvelle des Mines de la the industry became astronomic
After long Lucette operated a smelter and a plant for and sometimes heated
discussions the production of antimony chemicals from French Assembly and
Senate approved a Moroccan concentrates at Le Genest (May- steel plan that
provided major financial enne). . . relief for the largest French steel companies

 Copper...—Two copper deposits were being for 5 years; it also
distributed
the costs of examined during 1978 and 1979 by the recent losses and avoided
the effects of BRGM: At Porte-aux-Moins (Cote du Nord) bankruptcy on financial
markets. Although and Bodennec (Finistére), which are faulted.
the
plan gave the Government direct and Most French deposits, including these,
are indirect majority control of the steel compafurthermore small and low
grade (0.5% to nies, it was described not as a nationaliz2~0% copper); lead
and zinc are also usually ation but as a purely financial arrangepresent,
and the separation of the metals ment; restructuring of the companies and
presents a technical problem. Porte-aux- terms of employment remained the
responMoms and Bodennec are about 30. miles sibility of the management. The
Governapart, and a single concentrator was being ment stated its intention
to eventually reconsidered for the two of them. turn control to the private
sector; this, and 
 France was completely dependent on im- repayment of the Government loans,
will ported raw materials and scrap for its depend on how the individual
firms restore largest copper smelter, the 45,000-ton-per- profitability.
The new steel plan will subyear plant at Palais, Haute Vienne, and two stantially
alter the composition of sharesmaller ones with annual production of few
holding in the steel companies affected. 
hundred tons. France was also a net im- At yearend 1978, proposals for restrucporter
of copper metal. Annual consump- turing the industry, still under discussion,
tion amounted to about 330,000 tons, of included the following steps, among
others, which about 57% was used by the electrical at Usinor: Concentration
of steel and steel industry, 22% by the appliance industry, semimanufactured
products in Dunkerque and 12% by the construction industry, and closure by
summer 1979 of the iron 
 During 1979, additional finance was ob- and steel furnaces at Denain; retention
of tamed for the copper plan initiated in 1972; the cold rolling facilities
at Montataire, during 7 years of its existence the plan had Mardyck, and
Biache; closure of instalproved its effectiveness. Its aim was to lations
at Blagny but not the plant at