Gabon Rejects Energy Shortages As Excuse For Missing 2029 Manganese Export Ban Deadline
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The world’s No.2 manganese producer — vital for steel and EV batteries — aims to diversify beyond raw exports, following other African nations capturing more mineral value locally; miners like France’s Eramet have flagged power constraints but pledged cooperation.
Frequent outages hamper Gabon’s industrial push, but Minister Sosthene Nguema Nguema, speaking at Mining Indaba in Cape Town, said operators have shown processes cutting energy use by 40–60%, making “energy a false debate.”
Gabon exported 9.4 million tonnes of manganese in 2024, down 5.3% from 2023; all miners must submit detailed timelines and demonstrate progress toward refining capacity.
Nguema stressed the 2029 cutoff is non‑negotiable, with administrative support provided but responsibility on companies; Eramet’s Comilog (world’s largest mine in Moanda) must comply despite recent management turmoil, which Eramet said is unrelated to Gabon operations.
