"LE GABON ENERVANT" OR "ANNOYING GABON"

 

English version  In recent years, Comilog's manganese ore production has broken   historical records, generally sitting between 7 million and 7.5 million tons per year. This volume makes Gabon one of the world's leading producers of high-grade manganese. Based on this annual production range (7 to 7.5 million tons), a volume of 700,000 tons, which CBON has promised to process locally in Gabon, represents approximately 9% to 10% of Eramet's total production in Gabon over a full year. To get a more concrete idea on the ground, Eramet extracts on average just over 600,000 tons of manganese per month. Thus, 700,000 tons roughly corresponds to a little over a month's worth of production. It is therefore a significantly small volume, on the scale of the logistical supply chain in Gabon, that Macron has putatively ceded to CBON. It should also be pointed out that Macron knows a French presidential election is coming up soon and that the far right could win. It is a safe bet th...

 

English version  The question that makes us doubt the feasibility of this agreement by 2031 is precisely the critical point and major technical constraint of this project: the lack of energy. Pyrometallurgy and the chemical processing of manganese are among the most energy-intensive processes in the world, requiring between 2,600 and 5,800 kWh per ton produced, depending on the added value of the alloy. It is precisely this "energy wall" that explains why CBON's initial ambition, which aimed for 5 million tons processed, was scaled down in the protocol signed in Paris to a more modest objective of 700,000 tons per year by 2031. In the agreement concluded between the Gabonese State and Eramet/Comilog, the energy roadmap relies on several strategic levers: 1. Strengthening the Hydroelectric Mix To power the plants, the master plan relies on scaling up the hydroelectric grid: The Mbei Basin:  With the gradual commissioning of power plants like Kinguélé Aval (34 MW) to suppor...

English version  The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on July 20, 2026, between the French mining group Eramet (and its subsidiary Comilog) and the Gabonese State marks a turning point in the strategic partnership aimed at locally processing the manganese value chain. However, one might wonder whether this memorandum of understanding will age well. This agreement comes within a regulatory framework where Gabon has set the objective of progressively banning the export of raw ore to foster industrialization and local processing. The objective targeted by the memorandum of understanding is to process up to 700,000 tonnes of manganese ore locally per year by the end of 2031. This value addition aims to supply both the steel industry and strategic sectors of the energy transition (electric vehicle batteries, high-performance steels, etc.). To achieve this goal, Eramet and the Gabonese State are evaluating three development avenues: Manganese Oxide Plant in Libreville (by 2028): ...