The expansion phase II of the project will cost $279m and will increase GEMCO’s beneficiated product capacity from 4.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 4.8 mtpa.
The expansion will also address infrastructure constraints by increasing road and port capacity to 5.9 mtpa, creating 1.1 mtpa of latent capacity for future expansions.
BHP Billiton Manganese president Tom Schutte said that the first phase expansion confirmed GEMCO’s status as the world’s largest and lowest cost producer of manganese ore.
"This second expansion will further enhance GEMCO’s competitive advantages and create additional options for growth," Schutte said.
