Metro Mining, one of Australia's four bauxite producers, achieved a new bauxite shipment record in August 2024, marking a major milestone for the company.

The bauxite producer, established in 2018, has an estimated resource base of 124.5Mt at its flagship project, Bauxite Hills Mine. Its initial capacity since its 2018 commission date was approximately 2Mtpy of bauxite and grew its production to 3.5Mtpy in 2019. Since then, Metro Mining has increased its production and, as of May 2023, has made an investment decision towards a 7Mtpy production capacity target by 2025, aiming to ramp up production from 2024.

The implementation of a new wobbler screening circuit in May 2024, which now operates at 100% allowed for more efficient bauxite processing. In addition to that, the commissioning of the Offshore Floating Terminal (OFT), Ikamba, in April which operates at 92%, has underpinned the increased production that resulted in the new bauxite shipment record. The expansion of operations at the Bauxite Hills Mine was initiated in Q2 2024, with the quarter dubbed as the “commissioning quarter”, aimed at boosting production towards the 7Mt production target. Despite a two-day operational pause at its barge loading facility and maintenance on its transhippers, Metro Mining achieved its record shipments of 720kt in August, marking a 13% m-o-m increase from July and a 29% y-o-y increase in shipments compared to the same period last year.

These strategic additions not only promote operations at Bauxite Hills Mine but also potentially triple the facility’s transshipping throughput. The Chinese market is the leading destination of Australian bauxite, which serves as feedstock for the aluminium industry. The Bauxite Hills's expansion project, along with the timely commissioning of the Ikamba terminal, correspond strategically to China’s increasing aluminium supply output while providing the opportunity to capitalise on increasing bauxite prices.