Guyana is expected to begin production of manganese by the end of 2019.
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman said that Chinese company Bosai is currently undertaking preparatory works before construction can begin at the Matthews Ridge, Region One mine site.
The Minister told the Department of Public Information(DPI) that preparatory works, scheduled for the latter half of 2017, includes construction of wharf facility at Port Kaituma, upgrading of roads from Port Kaituma wharf to Matthews Ridge and Pipiani and development of the mines for ore extraction and additional infrastructural work to support the operation.
Boasi is expected to employ as much as 1,200 persons during the construction phase and some 400 persons when operations begin. Once in production, the company intends to ship 350,000 tonnes of manganese per year.
Manganese was mined in Region One decades ago. Reunion Manganese Incorporated, a subsidiary of Reunion Gold Corporation, has spent over US$50 million to define what it described as a world-class manganese deposit in Matthews Ridge. There is an initial 10 million tonnes of concentrate with the potential to double with the addition of the satellite site of Pipiani.
